”I am alone next to the pool at Le Prince Maurice Hotel in Mauritius. In contrast, all the people around me are paired off. Every coupling is a story pitted with conflict,…

John Ezard and Sarah Crown try to predict who is going to win the coveted prize.

Ondaatje, Coetzee, Swift, Lessing and Keneally cast aside in favour of novels from lesser-known authors. John Ezard reports.