And the winner is..Banville?

I’m sorry, but I have to agree with Tibor Fischer’s opinion of The Sea: “A lot of lovely language but no novel,” he wrote in his review.
According to The Guardian, John Sutherland, chairman of the Booker jury, broke a deadlock between Banville and Ishiguro by casting his vote for the Irish writer.
In another year, I might have understood the decision, even applauded; Banville deserves a Booker win, he is one of the few writers left today who’s not scared of depth, one of those who keeps you company in the dark hours.
But this year? With McEwan, Coetzee and Rushdie already elbowed off a list bursting with an abundance of talent? With Barnes’ Arthur and George, one of the best things he’s written, and Zadie Smith’s hilarious On Beauty, with Ali Smith’s complex, moving The Accidental, with Ishiguro’s deeply sad look at cloning in Never Let Me Go, you pick what’s not even Banville’s best novel?
Oh well. Go read The Sea anyway, or read a short interview with Banville. Or read a really, really long one that’s worth your time–Mark Sarvas did the interviewing.