Well Readers, this was a bit of a ruprise, but a good one. M john Harrison, at 81 years old, is the oldest winner ever of the Booker, and also the first  author to identify as a science fiction writer – it’s true that several of Margaret Atwood’s novels are clearly science fiction (in my view) but she’s always rejected the title.

This is a very peculiar book. It has moments of great beauty, but also some startling violence. Aliens had invaded the City of London (or have they?) On the south coast, Marley, a woman with dementia, and Philip, a middle-aged beachcomber, try to cope with the ‘new normal’. Meanwhile, Philip finds an ‘artifact’ not exactly an alen, but definitely something sentient, with a character of its own.

It’s not exactly a cheerful read, but it has a lot to say about resilience, and ehat it means to be human.

Highly recommended!