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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. As our Booker season comes to an end, read our final predictions below! <\/em><\/p>\n \u2014 Cora Rolfes, Senior Arts Editor and Alex Hetzler, Books Beat Editor<\/em> <\/p>\n Most confusing nomination: \u201cAudition\u201d by Katie Kitamura<\/strong> <\/p>\n Slightly esoteric and definitely ambitious, \u201cAudition\u201d by Katie Kitamura is a novel full of tension and intrigue that, while well-written, forces you to read between the lines a little too much. Although riddled with profound themes \u2014 three of which we dive into deeper in our full review<\/a> \u2014 we believe the Booker-nominated novel ultimately falls short because of just how much room it leaves for interpretation. While leaving space for the imagination to run free is usually a positive and characterizing quality of literary fiction, we found that \u201cAudition\u201d said too little and omitted too much. Its craft proficiency and careful exploration of important themes certainly make it deserving of a nomination, but the contentious nature of these aforementioned shortcomings make us hesitant to predict a final win for Kitamura\u2019s novel. While definitely still worth a read, we ultimately think there are other nominees that stand a better chance of taking home this year\u2019s Booker Prize.\u00a0<\/p>\n