Pick A Colour – Souvankham Thammavongsa

Remarkably, this first novel has been Giller short-listed. Importantly, there is much left unsaid in this accounting of a single day in a Nail Salon in an unnamed city. The three manicurists speak an unnamed language that allows them to talk and gossip freely about their clients. The owner Ning is an self-contained observer, so there is a seductive intimacy to common events. Overall, masterful writing as one might anticipate from a former Giller winner for short stories (How To Pronounce Knife).