David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas Booker favourite

David Mitchell , a shop assistant-turned author, has emerged as the Front-runner for this year’s Booker Prize, with his novel Cloud Atlas, described as a masterpiece in the literary circles. According to bookmaker William Hill, Mitchell has emerged as the hot favourite for the award at odds of 5-4. The winner of the 50,000 pounds prize will be announced on Tuesday.

Cloud Atlas, a series of interconnected tales in different genres, faces competition from two well-known figures in the literary circle. Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty, depicting Britain in the Thatcher years, is listed at 5-2, and Colm Toibin’s The master, inspired by the life of Henry James, has been given odds of 4-1. —PTI