- Pat Barker - The Silence of the Girls (UK)
- Oyinkan Braithwaite - My Sister, the Serial Killer (Nigeria)
- Anna Burns - Milkman (UK)
- Diana Evans - Ordinary People (UK)
- Tayari Jones - An American Marriage (USA)
- Madeline Miller - Circe (USA)
I had expected Burns to make the list, after her Booker win for Milkman, but was surprised to see Sally Rooney's Normal People cut.
I was a bit perplexed by the shortlist, in that there are novels with similar themes together - such as Miller and Barker who both write feminist retelling of ancient stories. And I was disappointed that Greenberg-Jephcott's Swan Song was left off the list.
I will be seeing Braithwaite this week at the Sydney Writer's Festival, so at the moment she has my vote to win.
The Winner will be announced on 5 June 2019.