2026 Booker Longlist - All Them Dogs > Likes and Comments

All Them Dogs by Djamel White (John Murray)

I read this a few days ago. Rather disappointed to be frank.

It’s part of what Gumble’s Yard memorably dubbed the Craic Cocaine genre of Irish crime fiction. But without the language, humour or authenticity of some of the other similar books.

And even the characters admit the main plot point doesn’t make much sense.

This was bottom of my rankings of the 43 eligible books I read.

I may my longlist reading start here... The good thing about being a eurozone reader (as Tom McCarthy aptly describes us) is that you can't really judge whether tough Irish crime slang is well done or just off the mark...

I really struggled with this to be honest for the reasons Paul said - I am kind of over this type of book ….. Irish literary fiction needs to move on from crime and gangsters

Ruben wrote: "I may my longlist reading start here... The good thing about being a eurozone reader (as Tom McCarthy aptly describes us) is that you can't really judge whether tough Irish crime slang is well done..."

I am starting with this one, just read the first chapter. Not exactly taken in by it so far, but I'll stay open-minded. If "eurozone readers" aren't good judges of the authenticity of Irish crime slang, imagine how outside a US reader like myself is! There's surely a reason why gritty Irish crime novels aren't very popular here in the US, compared to Scandinavian ones. (That said, crime novels aren't really my thing in general, but I will get through this one, or that's what I'm telling myself.)

Only in Ireland though do gangster crime novels seem to be a sub genre of literary fiction.

I am joining Ruben and CJ and starting the books I haven't read here. I probably won't get through it as fast since I will actually start three today.

I am roughly a third in, and so far I am enjoying it. The queer masculinity works in my opinion, and I am not quite as over Irish Cocaine-Crime as others. :) Not yet a stand-out, but very solidly enjoyable!

Craic Cocaine.

Well, this was absolutely fine, but rather bleak. And the implosion of everything in the end is a bit too dramatic for my taste! Not sure who I would recommend this to, since it is rather conventional in its storytelling. But I am not angry about having read it.

This one didn't work for me, but it wasn't so offensively bad as to warrant a 1 star. I don't read this genre much at all, but it felt like the author was trying very hard to impress me, the reader, and the tone for much of the book was fatiguingly one-note. The way the story was structured was adequate but I could see where a very tough editor could have pushed for a smarter structuring that would have given us a more dynamic storytelling.

I can't say I have much interest in reading more by this author, especially if he stays within this particular genre.

So is this akin to Caimh McDonnell's Dublin Trilogy (that includes at least 8 novels) without the humor? or is there a more apt comparison you care to make?

This one wasn’t for me either

Who There Was with a Dublin accent and without the borderline authorial incrimination

I quite enjoyed Who They Was and personally haven’t read a lot more crime fiction, let alone Irish crime fiction, let alone crave-cocaine Irish crime fiction, so hopefully I enjoy the more than everyone else so far.

Think this’ll be third in my reading list behind The Palm House and The Renovation.

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "Who There Was with a Dublin accent and without the borderline authorial incrimination"

Thanks - very helpful.

Well, not having read much Irish crime fiction - maybe just Wild Houses, if that counts? I quite appreciated this book. I had a reaction similar to Anna's - it's definitely bleak, but as a portrayal of damaged and toxic young manhood I found it compelling, and the layer of queerness in that tough-guy context added interest for me.

In fact Flesh is the book this reminded me most of, and surely they won't do another damaged male protagonist as this year's winner, so I'm not expecting this to go far, but I wouldn't be upset if it made the shortlist. Although it's only my second longlist book so far, so hoping to find others I'm more enthusiastic about. I've put it at position 6 so far, with nothing above it yet.

Listening to the audiobook enhanced my enjoyment - I'm a sucker for an Irish accent.

Have to say probably one of the least satisfying books I've read in a while.
I'm all for adding new genres to the Booker but if you are going to put in a thriller at least make it a decent one. This certainly isn't one.
The plot is thin and having dawdled along for two thirds the last third becomes this sudden rush. So much so that it all felt like the author and editor had run out of patience and decided the book needed finishing any way it could. The characters are predictable, two dimensional and just not developed, in many cases, in any meaningful manner. The scene at Christmas is, perhaps, the one decent scene in the book. I can't think of anyone I could recommend this to and I know a fair few people who like thrillers.
I also can't see how the judges can possibly consider this to be one of the thirteen best literary novels of the year. I'm afraid this will be bottom of my list.

Feels a real outlier in this list

BookerMT2 wrote: "I also can't see how the judges can possibly consider this to be one of the thirteen best literary novels of the year. I'm afraid this will be bottom of my list."

Same here. I don't understand the placement of this book on the Longlist.

I am with Anna on this one, quite enjoyable. I didn't miss the absence of humour and think the bleakness is very much the point - there is no real hope for Tony.

But I have to agree: the question why it had to be longlisted for the Booker is a very fair one.

I can only speculate, but as there are quite a few books with academics (or at least an intellectual milieu) on the list, they may have looked for something set among a different demographic and a different parts of town. As such it's not a bad choice.

I was reading this alongside the Vivisectors - rarely read two more different novels in parallel...

That’s a good point - I think three set at universities, another one with a school teacher main character, another one with an ex university professor father of the narrator

Anna on Irish literary novelists writing about drug dealers/criminals/gangsters I would definitely have Colin Barrett on the list and would add Kevin Barry, Lisa McInerney, Luke Cassidy, Michael Magee just to pick recent names - for me it’s too much for a small country’s literature and has become cliched.

Really glad it was fresher for you though.

BookerMT2 wrote: "I also can't see how the judges can possibly consider this to be one of the thirteen best literary novels of the year."

They looked at an earlier draft of their longlist and realized it reflected a subconscious bias against Craic Cocaine?

That could be it. To be fair they did need an Irish book after last years Roddy Doyle treachery but other forms of Irish literature are available. Land was the people’s pick but The Red Mouth would have been a fabulous choice

Doing the audiobook for this one. I'm not keen on the Irish dialect of the narrator, having to decipher meaning from context. And it does seem like I've read this story a few dozen times already.

Interesting that the judges' commendation for this one includes that it is "set well off the beaten track of the city’s usual literary landmarks". Which suggests they are not familiar with the genre of Irish drug-crime fiction.

Finished this last night and don't really know what to think. The writing is lively and compulsive so it is easy enough to read for those with strong stomachs who can follow the street slang, but there doesn't seem to be much of a message beyond the banal "crime doesn't pay", and it is difficult to see how it qualifies for the longlist. I suspect the judge's comment Paul mentions is a specific geographical one about the specific area of Dublin.

Am about a quarter of the way into this and finding it very easy reading. I am greatly enjoying the narrative voice and find the writing propulsive and energetic but like others am doubtful that it is one of the 13 best books of the year. Maybe I’ll feel differently as I get deeper into it.

I finished and it did not get better. I hated the dialect. If I'd read in print I suspect it wouldn't have been so annoying but way too many "meselfs" and me this and that for my tastes. I read a lot of this type of book when I'm walking and biking (indoors) and there are many authors I enjoy better, including Irish authors.

I listened to this on audiobook and really liked it. I feel like it had the grit and hardness I felt John of John lacked.

I don’t get people stating that they didn’t like the dialect, the author was portraying a locale he is very familiar and wanted to show how people talk from this place….the criticism comes off as snobbishness.

I do wish that the novel was longer and we really got to dig into the main character and their relationships (especially with his brother)

Oh dear. I finished this this morning and did not like it at all. Had I not decided to be a completist for this year's longlist, I would have put it down about halfway through. Surely we've read this before, perhaps not with the queer element, but I'm not sure what it added. Hard to understand how this is the only longlisted title by an Irish author. I think we could all generate a list of new Irish fiction that suits the "finest fiction" label more.

Only longlisted Irish title in two years now as well.

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "Only longlisted Irish title in two years now as well."

Nonsensical.

Kyle wrote: "I listened to this on audiobook and really liked it. I feel like it had the grit and hardness I felt John of John lacked.
"

All the Calvinism in John of John not enough? Granted it's more bleak than gritty, but I think a hardness is definitely there. Just a different kind than what we get in this book.

I have little to add. First, I think the novel succeeds at what it is trying to do. Second, there were some vivid scenes that stuck with me. Unfortunately, I agree with others, especially when it comes to book prizes, that I am tired of the craic novel and also am tired of novels that are reliant on slang/cultural idioms or seem dependent on trends/attitudes that are presently appealing to the audience for literary novels, and in this case it is the LGBTQ element. So because this novel, had three elements I found tiresome, it felt generic and cliched to me. But to reaffirm, I felt the author handled what I criticized well enough and that along with the vivid scenes is a good reason to read the novel especially if you haven't developed the type of bias I have toward the elements I found tiresome.

Just finished this one up and…my sentiments are similar to those offered thus far, perhaps slightly warmer.

I enjoyed this book…but I think I would’ve enjoyed it more without the weight of being among the “finest fiction” of the year.

I enjoyed the book but I don’t think my reading moved beyond enjoyment and I am not sure there is quite enough depth for me to dig into it.

I would be surprised to see this on the shortlist if only because I can’t imagine it would open up to a second reading.

I finished this one quickly over three days. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and it seemed fresh to me, probably because I don’t read crime thrillers typically (much less Irish craic cocaine crime thrillers). The LGBTQ angle is very well-done, I think. The story was entertaining and suspenseful. All that said, this is not what I expect to see on the Booker longlist, and it doesn’t belong here. Even so, I don’t regret reading it for the entertainment value.

In my opinion, the weakest element of the plot is the protagonist’s inexplicable hatred for his half-brother. It wasn’t well-supported enough to feel believable. Since this relationship plays a pivotal role at several key moments in the plot, this was a problem for me.

Another not-my-kind-of-book, and I would have not finished it if it hadn't been for Booker. I do try to read them to the end (even though I have a bad record in this!).
Most important is, that I don't hope to see it on the short list.

But. Of all the covers, and I suppose that will be not easy to estimate as some editions have other covers, I think, but the cover on the one I read, a young man holding his head in is hands (or throws water in his face), is the most visually strong cover. I liked The Palm House cover too, but this even more so.

Completely true story.

I have a 3 day messaging ban from Instagram because of saying in a comment that “i have now got my brother using [the description ] craic cocaine.”

Except I did not include the part in []

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "Completely true story.

I have a 3 day messaging ban from Instagram because of saying in a comment that “i have now got my brother using [the description ] craic cocaine.”

Except I did not includ..."

You should consider it an honor to mess up IG. MHO.

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "Completely true story.

I have a 3 day messaging ban from Instagram because of saying in a comment that “i have now got my brother using [the description ] craic cocaine.”

Except I did not includ..."

Wow. Serious policing going on there.

Absolutely hilarious. A badge of honour, surely!

Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer wrote: "Completely true story.

I have a 3 day messaging ban from Instagram because of saying in a comment that “i have now got my brother using [the description ] craic cocaine.”

Except I did not includ..."

Only you, GY! ;-)

I just finished this one, and I don't think it says anything especially new, but what I find interesting is the way it lets us inhabit Tony in a way in which we understand him perhaps better than he understands himself. I see it as a variation of the unreliable narrator, in that he isn't lying but rather misidentifying or not fully understanding his emotions, the meaning behind his thoughts/actions. He's telling us things about himself that he doesn't even know he's telling us, if that makes sense. For example, the desire he feels is more evident to us before it ever arrives for him.

I think the story is also more focused than the usual version of this type of crime novel, particularly in the way it connects masculinity in this world with obedience, exploitation, and even grooming. I also liked that his queer desire is neither the source of his violence nor a way out of it.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel that the final stretch fully paid off. I think some of the relationships and emotional turns needed more development earlier in the novel. Dare I say it may have worked better if it were longer, although I'm not sure I wanted it to be longer haha! I found it easy to move through and read it pretty quickly. I did listen to part of it on audiobook while walking, and I liked the narration. It was engaging overall, but it fell flat for me by the end, and I wouldn't call it one of the best novels of the year.

Ghaa! I went from bored, to really interested in the developing romance and plot twists, and finally to just confused. I think Tony was an interesting guy—or at least an interesting character study—to spend a couple of days reading about, but I would have to reread the book to fully understand who killed Philly and the motives behind all the almost-killings at the end. I need a private DM here so someone can just tell me: What happened?! And how did it all unravel that fast?

I wasn't particularly expecting to enjoy this but I felt it was quite well-executed as a gangland thriller - I agree with Ernie's comments on Tony's narrative perspective which I think is quite skilfully handled. I did find the final sections quite gripping but would also agree that it slightly loses clarity around motivation at this point.

I guess my main reservation would be that, unlike most other books I've read from the longlist so far, nothing about it really surprised me - it was exactly what I thought it would be based on the blurb. The one interesting additional element was Tony's queer desire but I felt that was a little under-explored.

Like others, I couldn't help comparing this with both Wild Houses and Who They Was, both of which I preferred to this. So although it surpassed my expectations, this is still likely to be my one of least favourite titles on this year's longlist.

This just feels genre-bound throughout. The climax, in which the antagonist is caused to experience the My God What Have I Done trope in barely believable circumstances, was particularly egregious. Personally I wish they wouldn’t place such importance on diversifying the longlist that books like this make it on, but I understand why they would do it.

I enjoyed this but I think it really suffers from being about 100 pages too short. I found the narration lively and accomplishing exactly what it set out to do, but the final 50 pages contained far too much plot and much of it was not earned. I'd have liked much more build up, and to let the moments breathe. I also noticed quite a few more grammatical and spelling errors towards the end, which made me feel like it had been rushed.

I feel bad saying it, but I rolled my eyes are the moment where (view spoiler)[the little girl was shot (hide spoiler)] - it really reduced the novel for me.

Ben wrote: "I enjoyed this but I think it really suffers from being about 100 pages too short. I found the narration lively and accomplishing exactly what it set out to do, but the final 50 pages contained far..."

No book ever suffers from being too short :-) I think this would have been better as a short story.