2024 Booker Longlist: Held by Anne Michael

by jenp27 on August 20, 2024

Book number four for our Booker panel is Anne Michael’s Held.

Cover blurb: 1917. On a battlefield near the River Escaut, John lies in the aftermath of a blast, unable to move or feel his legs. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he is lost to memory as the snow falls—a chance encounter in a pub by a railway, a hot bath with his lover on a winter night.

1920. John has returned from war to North Yorkshire, near a different river. He is alive but still not whole. Reunited with Helena, an artist, he reopens his photography business and tries to keep on living. But the past erupts insistently into the present, as ghosts begin to surface in his pictures: ghosts with messages he cannot understand.

So begins a narrative that spans four generations of connections and consequences that ignite and reignite as the century unfolds. In radiant moments of desire, comprehension, longing, and transcendence, the sparks fly upward, working their transformations decades later.

You can purchase a copy of the book h ere.

Keep reading to find out how our panelists rated this book.

Jen’s Thoughts: I adored this book. Beautiful and poetic, this is the sort of narrative style that I appreciate. I finished this book after reading Messud’s book. Strange Eventful History (stay tuned for that review) tested my limits and not in a good way. I found that book so emotionally sterile and boring that I struggled to finish it. This book was everything that book was not. It was beautifully emotional and reflective of deep issues despite its very short length. Held is written in small sections that skip back and forth through time and can be somewhat challenging to follow. If you read my “meet the judges” blurb, you know I’m a big fan of books that play with timeline and perspective. I especially love novels that require the reader to piece together threads to uncover the larger picture. In sum, I loved almost everything about this book. I did read it with a notebook so I could jot down timelines, characters, and recurring themes. It’s a beautifully rendered novel about loss, memories, love, and connections. I took off some points for character and plot development but I feel that was unfair since this was more a book about larger themes that it was about specific characters.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? 100% yes. This book is one of the most booker-y (its that a word?) books I’ve read from the list so far.
Total: 18/20

Tracy’s Thoughts: I wasn’t as enthusiastic about this one. To be fair, I listened to it, and I think that format detracted from the book for me. However, the book was well written, and Anne Michaels is a welcome re-addition to the literary world!

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? Yes. If shortlisted, I need to actually read the book.
Total: 16/20

Nicole’s Thoughts: OK, bonus points to author for nailing the audio narration of this book. Her voice is so soothing it immediately puts you in a headspace. I loved listening to it, the words were beautiful. The first 25% of this short book I was worried that it was going to be a stinker for me in spite of the fact that the writing was great and I loved the narration. But then the story kicked in, and I ended up really enjoying it. It’s a slow burn for sure, and there’s not a lot to it, but in the simplicity is an elegance.

I would have loved a bit more – without spoilers – of the part with the photographer which was my favorite part of the book. There’s an entire novel in that idea, for sure. So clever and interesting.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? For sure – I don’t think my score really reflects how amazing I ultimately thought it was. It’s hard to give points on plot when there wasn’t much plot.
Total: 16/20

Anita’s Thoughts: There’s no doubt this is an exquisitely written work. The amount of care and attention to the details of the writing itself is awe inspiring. However, to me, it didn’t really feel like a novel, but more like a series of interlinking short stories written poetically. I think I’d have gotten more out of it if I wrote down all the characters’ relationships as I read. It’s perfect for an English literature class. I did like how it touches thematically on death and both the science and mystery surrounding it, loss, and love. I appreciated this book more as art and not entertainment.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? The beautiful use of language alone makes it deserving.
Total: 15/20

Lisa’s Thoughts: Unlike some of the other reviewers, I was not a huge fan. Each chapter focuses on a different person, and I found it difficult to keep track of the thread connecting the characters through the different chapters. It was more similar to a series of short stories albeit with common themes of love, loss, and war. I like short stories but have different expectations for novels and for short stories. With novels I expect to attach to at least some of the characters, and I could not do that here. One of the characters is pregnant and goes into a war zone on purpose as a journalist. Why would you ever do that if you had a choice? I will agree with others that writing is beautiful. But I did not enjoy the book.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? Probably
Total: 14/20

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

Our panel’s final rankings