The book edit
Discover the books that have been shortlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction. These six novels have been handpicked by a jury chaired by Booker Prize-winning author Bernadine Evaristo, with podcaster, author and journalist Elizabeth Day; TV and radio presenter, journalist and writer Vick Hope; The Guardian columnist and writer Nesrine Malik, and Sky News presenter and broadcaster, Sarah-Jane Mee.
With the winner announced in July, now is the perfect time to refresh the pile on our nightstand and see how many we can conquer before then.
Piranesi, Susanna Clarke
This fantasy novel is already a Sunday Times and New York Times best-seller, and was chosen as Book of the Year by The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, Time Magazine and the Times Literary Supplement amongst many more. It tells the story of the titular Piranesi who lives in the House, a building of mystery and magic, alone until a new presence appears.
Transcendent Kingdom, Yaa Gyasi
The long-awaited second novel from the author of Homegoing, this follows the protagonist Gifty, the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants living in the Deep South, as she unpicks her family’s recent and distant history across continents and generations.
Unsettled Ground, Claire Fuller
Another novel about twins, this time 51-year-old Jeanie and Julius, who live with their mother in rural isolation. There seemingly idyllic existence is shattered following the sudden death of their mother and subsequent revelations about their lives.
How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, Cherie JonesSet against the backdrop of an island paradise (Barbados to be exact), this debut novel is the story of three marriages. It explores themes of love and violence, and the sacrifice and survival of women through its female characters.
No One is Talking About This, Patricia Lockwood
One of the most talked about books of the year explores the reality of our digital life through fiction. The main character, a social media star navigating a new existence thanks to the Internet, or ‘the portal’ as it is referred to, begins to question everything when she receives two sudden and ominous texts from her mother.
The Vanishing Half, Brit BennettAfter identical twins the Vignes sisters run away from their small community in southern America at 16, their respective lives take two very different paths. From there, this multi-layered story meanders across time, generations and locations to explore family, history and identity.