Women’s prize for Fiction shortlist revealed

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Posted 3 March, 2020

By Jamie Watts

London, UK

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The annual Women’s prize for Fiction is just around the corner, and at long last the longlist has been revealed.

Now, in its 25^th anniversary, the Women’s prize for Fiction has long been the staple for celebrating and honouring female authors for creating the stories that enrich our daily lives. The novels on this 16-strong longlist will no doubt be filling the shelves of bookstores and commuter suitcases the world over in 2020, featuring works from burgeoning writers just breaking onto the scene, and ofc works from the ‘heavy hitters’ who’ve shown continued excellence and originality over prosperous careers.

The Judges, chaired by Martha Lane Fox, have read over 152 novels and have stringently narrowed the pool down to just 16 entries, asserting that in its silver jubilee the Women’s prize for Fiction has seen ‘an extraordinary year’, revealing that the judges ‘revelled in the variety, depth, humanity and joy of the writing’. Judge Paula Hawkins (The Girl on the Train) recently declared ‘I think it is unusual to have a year with quite so many heavy hitters publishing’. That seems the natural place to start then.

Hilary Mantel is one of the favourites to take home the £30,000 prize for her historical novel, The Mirror and the Light, which charts the rise and fall of eminent minister Thomas Cromwell during the English Reformation. When addressing questions about the longlist, Hawkins was quick to identify Mantel as one of her favourites to win, stating: ‘I don’t know how she does it. She takes a story happening hundreds of years ago and makes you feel it could be happening this week. Her use of language is so wonderful that it feels current and yet not anachronistic’.

Flieshman is in Trouble has landed Taffy Brodesser-Akner as one of the favourites too, alongside former competition winner Ann Patchett with The Dutch House, and Jacqueline Woodson for her moving exploration of the impact of teenage pregnancy on modern families, Red at the Bone. Jenny Offill has hit the right note and makes the cut for her timely exploration of climate anxiety with Weather – which hit stores just last month (Feb 11^th).

Perhaps even more exciting than the squaring off of these titans is the emergence of six debut authors, who now have a chance to showcase their immense talents on a global stage for the first time. Candice Carty-Williams is one of the standout newbies having just been commended for her bestselling novel Queenie – the story of a black woman struggling with her personal relationships and professional standing in London.

Deepa Anappara’s Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line has already been lavished with critical acclaim throughout 2019 for her chastening coming of age/child murder story. Yup, sounds like a humdinger. Claire Lombardo’s The Most Fun We Ever Had is on the list for her charming yet chaotic chronicle of four adult sisters growing up in a dysfunctional family.

The award’s ceremony is slated to take place on April 22^nd and the winner will be decided by Martha Lane Fox; writer, Scarlett Curtis; co-founder of the Black British Business Awards, Melanie Eusebe; author and comedian, Viv Groskop; and as previously mentioned, bestselling author Paula Hawkins.

Though there can only be one winner in this competition, the real winners are the public who will have a new literary wish-list to last right through to 2021. Get involved.

Jamie Watts

Senior Writer London, UK

I’m Jamie (He/Him), the Deputy Editor and a Senior Writer at Thred. Keeping up with social media updates and revolutionary technology is my forte, but when away from my keyboard, you’ll probably find me wrapped around a large Tango ice blast at the latest mediocre horror flick. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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