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A new way to judge a book at speed: read only page 112

Written By Unknown on Friday, March 4, 2016 | 11:18 AM

Do you read for two hours to decide if you’ve found a good book? From now on, I’m just reading page 112

I try my hardest to keep up with literary prize-related reading but I’m hopelessly behind on the latest Booker, Costa and Samuel Johnson winners (although I thoroughly and wholeheartedly recommend Andrew Michael Hurley’s Costa first novel award-winning The Loney). It’s depressing, sometimes, to admit that I’m never going to get up to date. So I was relieved to see, thanks to the Complete Review, a literary prize that I can get on board with: Le Prix de la Page 112, which has just announced its shortlist.

Inspired by a line from Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters – “Don’t forget the poem on page 112. It reminded me of you!” – the French literary award asks its jury, at first, to read only page 112 of each novel.