2023 Booker Longlist – Pearl by Siân Hughes

Pearl by Siân Hughes is the next book on our list. Siân Hughes is a writer who grew up in a small village in Cheshire, England. Pearl is her debut novel and is set in the place where she grew up.

Synopsis taken from the Booker Prize website: Marianne is eight years old when her mother goes missing. Left behind with her baby brother and grieving father in a ramshackle house on the edge of a small village, she clings to the fragmented memories of her mother’s love; the smell of fresh herbs, the games they played, and the songs and stories of her childhood.

As time passes, Marianne struggles to adjust, fixated on her mother’s disappearance and the secrets she’s sure her father is keeping from her. Discovering a medieval poem called Pearl – and trusting in its promise of consolation – Marianne sets out to make a visual illustration of it, a task that she returns to over and over but somehow never manages to complete.

Tormented by an unmarked gravestone in an abandoned chapel and the tidal pull of the river, her childhood home begins to crumble as the past leads her down a path of self-destruction. But can art heal Marianne? And will her own future as a mother help her find peace?

You can purchase a copy of the book here

Jen, Book Worm, and Tracy read and reviewed this book. Keep reading to find out how our panelists rated this book.

Jen’s Thoughts: Another book on the list about parental loss, grief and trauma. It’s a bit exhausting to read book after book of philosophical musings related to trauma and grief. However, this was one of my favorite books on the subject. Pearl takes its inspiration from a medieval poem (also titled Pearl) about the loss of a child. You can read more about that poem in this New Yorker article. Hughes’ version is beautifully written with the kind of lyrical prose that is to be expected from a poet. I really felt the sense of place created in the novel. I found the book to be a beautiful contemplation of the parent-child bond and the ways in which the loss of that relationship can impact individuals. Like many of the other books on this list, there was a lot of musing and contemplation, and the plot at times got lost. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and I connected with it on an emotional level.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Total: 17/20

BookWorm’s Thoughts:  A quiet contemplative look at what it means to lose a mother at a young age with no resolution. Through Marianne we explore the idea of memory and how what we remember is not always what happened. Several times in the narrative Marianne admits that the events she remembers can’t possibly have happened due to the timings of other events.

The novel explores the issues surrounding mental illness, vulnerable people and how art can provide a safe space to escape when life is too much. It also questions the wisdom of believing what other people read into a situation and how the views of society can impact individual perspectives and how the past can become coloured by later events.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 4/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Total: 17/20

Tracy’s Thoughts:  Oh, my goodness. This one’s my winner. Don’t care if it wins or not.

I loved the writing- it was lyrical, poetic. The descriptions were gorgeous- I’m a sucker for gardens and old houses, and this just got me. I could see myself walking there.

The characters were wonderful- I wish I could have known Marianne better- though I believe she’s standoffish on purpose (maybe a bit on the autism spectrum?) I loved the magic she pulled in through fairytales, and that this is based on the medieval poem Pearl, which I’m now looking up and plan to read after finishing the longlist.

The quietness of this story, the thoughtfulness of each word- this book was just right for me at the right time.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 3.5/4
Plot: 3.5/4
Enjoyment: 2/2
Total: 18/20

Nicole’s Thoughts:   Well, somebody on the panel has mommy issues  ….. I’m a little more in love with this book than the other panelists, in fact it was darn near perfect for me.  The ideas were clever and creative, the story was told beautifully and the writing was just … gorgeous and genius.  I loved the way the whole story came together; it was masterful.  There may have been a plot issue here or there, but they didn’t matter to me.

This resonated with me as a mother and as a child “If you are a mother you are always to blame.  I know that know.  If you did not gift birth to them too slowly or too quickly, underfeed them, overfeed them, pick them up, set them down, push them forward, hold them back, love them to little or too much, you are to blame for their very existence.  You loaded them with your own dodgy generic package and sent them out into the world to deal with its particular set of time bombs.”  Blame is a big theme in my family and I felt this passage in my core.

This book touched me, moved me, and I finally feel like I’ve read a Booker worthy book

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Character development: 3.5/4
Plot: 3.5/4
Enjoyment: 2/2
Total: 19/20

Have you read this one? Let us know what you thought.

Our panel’s Rankings

1. Pearl: 17.75
2. The House of Doors: 16.5
3. A Spell of Good Things: 15.38
4. Study for Obedience: 14
5. Old God’s Time: 13.20
6. In Ascension: 12.5
7. Western Lane: 12.5
8. How to Build a Boat: 12.38