Michael Thomas

Thomas attended the prize ceremony in Dublin, saying he was "stunned" and "still waiting for the punch line". He expressed his disbelief that he had even made the shortlist – "or the longlist, for that matter". He expects to "pay some bills" with the money as well as "a mortgage, a half-built house".

The novel deals with an African-American man who is estranged from his white wife and their children. He must come up with a sum of money within four days to have them returned. It focuses on an attempt to achieve the American Dream. Thomas describes Man Gone Down as having a "gallows humour". Thomas is currently working on his second book, intended to be non-fiction. Read Less