Djamel White’s novel All Them Dogs has been longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. We’ll be celebrating this extraordinary achievement on Wednesday 2 nd September with a special event here at Books Upstairs. Djamel White will be here for a reading and conversation as well as a Q&A from the audience and book signing.
Admission is free but booking is essential.
WHAT THE BOOKER JUDGES SAID
‘ All Them Dogs , the debut novel by Djamel White, is a mouthy, ballsy and bracingly unsentimental portrait of West Dublin gangland , set well off the beaten track of the city’s usual literary landmarks. It charts the lives, loyalties and dealings of a semi-organised crime world. Yet, the novel’s real achievement lies in something quieter and more easily overlooked beneath the bullets and bone-breaking dramatics: a subtle, textured humanity woven among the violent hyper-masculine protagonists.
White is an impressive stylist. He has an ear for dialogue that is both racy and real , and a gift for atmospheric description that feels at once inventive and classically grounded. This writer understands that the vernacular of the street, handled with precision and care, can carry as much emotional and literary weight as any elevated register.’
PRAISE FOR ALL THEM DOGS
“All Them Dogs has ambitions beyond the harsh restrictions of the crime genre, with a first-person stream of consciousness that follows Chekhov’s notion that that the writer’s duty is to take the part of the guilty men. The character of Tony is a bold choice for this endeavour, often appearing an arrogant bully beyond the reach of even his author’s compassion. And though many frailties are revealed below the braggadocio, the true emotions and psychosexuality of this angry and battered male psyche remain unknowable. But perhaps that’s part of the realism of this novel.” - Jake Arnott, the Guardian
“ A debut novel of rare force and control.
This is a revelation: a mob thriller steeped in the gallows humor of working-class Dublin, yet with notes of tenderness to temper the violence. As narrated by Tony Ward-“lethal weapon forged in 1997 with a rap sheet that’d put them all to shame”-White hauls us through a world of coke dealers, shredded loyalties, and powder-keg masculinity.” - Kirkus
“All Them Dogs is filled with a street lyricism that mines masculinity in a manner reminiscent of Jim Carroll or Robert McLiam Wilson. There’s a poetry on the pages here that tenderises even the most hardened characters, as they alternately strut and cower at the mercy of criminal impulses. That’s part of this novel’s magic. And it is a magical piece of writing.” - Elizabeth Mannion, The Irish Times
“ There is no shying away from the strong language in this novel, with vehemence and hatred spewing out of every conversation. Yet there are gentle moments and bursts of feeling that offer glimpses into what could have occurred if circumstances had been different.
“ Electricity pulsates through All Them Dogs with an intensity and a sense of urgency that propels the reader forward to the very fitting ending. Prepare yourself for an adrenaline-fuelled, intense rush, a novel that will not allow you to take a breath. Gritty, impacting, emotive, and frighteningly authentic, All Them Dogs is a formidable and assured debut.”- Mairéad Hearne, Irish Examiner