THE ELEPHANT KEEPER shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award
November 25, 2009
THE ELEPHANT KEEPER by Christopher Nicholson has been shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2009 alongside Colm Toibin, Penelope Lively and Hilary Mantel.From The Guardian: 'The shortlist was one of five announced for this year's Costas, awards that unashamedly reward the year's most enjoyable books across different categories: novel, first novel, poetry, biography and children's book. Nicholson's THE ELEPHANT KEEPER was one of the most eye-catching. The judges described his book about a stable boy who develops a deepening relationship with Jenny, an elephant, as "an unusual and absorbing story - a real discovery." It was one of a record number of 155 entries.' Please click here for the full Guardian announcement.
The winner will be announced on January 5th, 2010. Please click here for more info about the prize as well as the book on the Costa Award website.
THE ELEPHANT KEEPER was published by Fourth Estate in the UK in January 2009, and the paperback edition is currently slated to appear in January 2010. First published as a lead title for the launch of the new Dutch imprint Mistral in autumn 2008, rights have also been sold to China and Taiwan.
In the US, where Morrow published in hardback in August, THE ELEPHANT KEEPER was a Librarians' Choice book at BEA, and was also an Indie Next pick during the month of publication. This was soon followed by a cascade of glowing reviews, which you can read more about by clicking here.
UK praise for THE ELEPHANT KEEPER
'The elephants themselves are living presences in the book; Nicholson creates mute, eloquent portraits of them through the loving gaze of their keeper…Christopher Nicholson traces the arc of Tom and Jenny's surprising journey with delicate empathy. He confronts sex, violence and power but he does not shy away from less dramatic themes, such as gentleness and companionship, which help to make THE ELEPHANT KEEPER such a rewarding book.
-- Lucy Dallas, TLS
'[Nicholson's] lush new novel of the late 18th century…Jenny is a magnificent character…She gives the book its weight, in every sense…the sheer richness of the story's texture. THE ELEPHANT KEEPER evokes 18th-century village and estate life beautifully, and is stuffed with fascinating data from medical and veterinary history.'
-- Sarah Bakewell, The Independent
'Sometimes it seems less a novel than a rich meditation on the Enlightenment: its rationality and superstition, silly games and serious concerns. Like the elephant at its centre, Nicholson's book is gentle, profound and sweet-natured…we find ourselves fascinated by a marriage like no other.'
-- Emma Donoghue, The Observer
'A captivatingly original novel…This is a wonderful feat of story-telling, remarkable for its ability to wrench your heart without resorting to easy sentimentality.'
-- Carla Mckay, Daily Mail
'A charming tale of an inter-species friendship…Throughout, Nicholson, with a light hand, explores questions of how and why we make choices, and contrasts our attitudes to life with that of animals…many delightfully drawn figures…Tom [the narrator] dramatises whole conversations between man and beast - whether real or imagined it hardly seems to matter, they are so believable…Nicholson never betrays the tenor of the times.'
-- Rachel Hore, The Independent
'Charming and courageous'
-- Sunday Express
'This charming first novel, told in Tom's tender, somewhat melancholic voice, is an account of this unusual relationship.'
-- Independent on Sunday
'A pleasingly ambling tale'
-- Melissa McClements, Financial Times