- Shokoofeh Azar - The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
- Claire G Coleman - Terra Nullius
- Michelle de Krester - The Life to Come
- Kristy Kneen - An Uncertain Grace
- Mirandi Riwoe - The Fish Girl
- Alexis Wright - Tracker
I was not surprised that past winners Michelle de Krester and Alexis Wright made the shortlist, but I did not expect Sophie Laguna to be dropped from the competition with her novel The Choke.
It is nice to see debut novelists - Azar, Coleman and Riwoe - in competition for their works. I described these books in a previous post about the Longlist. Of the books still in contention, the one I am most keen to read is de Krester.
The winner will be revealed on 12 April 2018.