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Like writers of The Michigan Daily Book Review\u00a0past<\/a>, our fearless reviewers are once again tackling the\u00a0Booker Prize Shortlist<\/a>. Every year, six English-language books published in the UK and Ireland are nominated, and six Daily reviews follow. Join us as we make our way through this year\u2019s list over the next couple weeks, and, before the announcement Nov. 10, tune in for our final predictions piece, where we will share who we think will win (and who we think should)<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014 Cora Rolfes, Senior Arts Editor, and Alex Hetzler, Books Beat Editor<\/em><\/p>\n In the mountains of Vermont, college student Sonia is racked with homesickness. Thousands of miles from her family in India, she finds companionship through an intimate relationship with an older man named Ilan. Not too far away, in Brooklyn, journalist Sunny is lonely. Sunny\u2019s family also lives in India, and he too feels alienated, specifically from his American girlfriend and her unfamiliar way of life. Across the globe, Sonia and Sunny\u2019s family members, who are constantly in a bustling and vibrant environment, cannot seem to comprehend the isolation that their relatives face. The novel thus follows the plan they hatch to set up Sonia and Sunny \u2014 and how their meddling goes awry.<\/p>\n Kiran Desai\u2019s novel, \u201cThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,\u201d weaves together the lives of these characters across oceans, threading together themes of isolation and love while balancing issues of identity with nuance and delicacy. Shortlisted for this year\u2019s Booker Prize, the story is certain to pique the interest of those who have forgotten what home feels like. Desai\u2019s writing captures the essence of loneliness and what it means to be labeled an outsider. But despite the ambitious premise of the novel, the story itself falls short of the expectations it sets.<\/p>\n