On 5 March 2024, the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist was revealed! The annual literary award celebrating women writers has previously recognised the talents of so many gifted writers, including these past winners:
The 2024 longlist is as follows:
A man returns to sub-Saharan Africa after twenty six years of exile in America. His homecoming is a journey to find his ill brother, and he meets many strangers along the way who tell him their stories. Taxi drivers, bureaucrats, relatives and others all share tales that fill in the gaps of his absence and the strangeness of being a foreigner in his homeland. The judges write 'Banyam reinvents the novel of return and does so with a mordant wit and a sense of playfulness that keeps you hooked until the very end.'
Jessica Miller is a suicide researcher who secretly thinks it might be a good thing. She questions whether someone has the right to stop another from taking their own life, while her colleagues are focussed on suicide prevention. But as Jessica comes to terms with her own relationships, a single event throws her beliefs into doubt. The judges describe this as a 'hilarious, poignant and uplifting' debut novel. Intriguing perhaps, but not for me.
From the outside, Alice has a perfect life. She has a beautiful newborn daughter Dawn, a charming husband Steve, and has just moved into a new home in an affluent part of Toronto. But inside, Alice is struggling. Her mother has just died, she isn't bonding with Dawn, and she is not confiding in Steve. Plus, it doesn't help that she is the only First Nations person in her neighbourhood. The judges call this 'a deep dive into the shattered mind of a postpartum woman.' Elliot is a Mohawk writer based in Brantford Ontario.
Nell McDaragh is the grand-daughter of a famous Irish poet, Phil McDaragh, whom she never knew. At age 22 she leaves home to become a writer and starts a relationship with the controlling Felim. Her relationship with her mother, Carmel, is complex and layered with intergenerational trauma. Carmel is unable to connect with people, having been abandoned by her father Phil, who left his terminally ill wife and young family. She also struggles to reconcile a man who write such beautiful verse with his personal behaviour. The judges write 'a psychologically astute examination of family dynamics and the nature of memory. Enright's prose is gorgeous and evocative and scalpel sharp.' Irish author Enright is the author of seven novels including the Booker Prize winning The Gathering (2007) and The Green Road (2016) which was previously shortlisted for the Women's Prize.
In Edinburgh 1670, Lady Christian is arrested for the murder of her lover, Lord Forrester. The trial is sensational, painting this once respectable woman as an adulteress and killer. Told in alternating narratives of Christian and Violet, a prostitute who also kept company with Lord Forrester. Based on a real case, the judges said 'a confident historical thriller with deep-dive, hot-blooded characters who you are cheerleading on. Cinematic. Gripping. Tense; A total page-turner.' This is Scottish author Foster's first novel. Sounds fascinating.
In Jafna, 1981, teenage Sashi wants to become a doctor but the Sri Lankan civil war steers her dream on another path as her brothers and friend get caught up in the political crisis. She takes up a role working as a medic at a field hospital for the Tamil Tigers, but as the fighting continues Sashi questions where she stands. The judges said 'visceral, historical, emotional. It is 300 pages of must-read prose.' Author Ganeshananthan is best known for Love Marriage which was longlisted for the Women's Prize in 2009.
Born at the end of the 19th Century, Dolly grows up in a poor farming family in rural New South Wales. She searches for independence, at a time when women are overcoming obstacles and forging new paths for themselves. Grenville uses family memories to piece together a life of her grandmother. The judges write that the novel 'follows the life of Dolly, who really is restless. It begins in 1880s in rural Australia, and it follows Dolly's ambitions to live a bigger life than the one she's been given.' I am a big fan of Kate Grenville's work and admire the way she takes snippets of a real life to craft a compelling story, as she did in A Room Made of Leaves (2020). I am keen to read this novel as her book about her mother, One Life (2015), shows that she hails from a line of formidable women. Grenville previously won this prize in 2001 for her novel The Idea of Perfection.
Isabella Hammad - Enter Ghost
Actress Sonia Nasir travels to Haifa to visit her sister Haneen. Sonia has made a life for herself in London, while her sister remained in their homeland commuting to Tel Aviv where she teaches at University. Sonia joins a production of Hamlet in the West Bank, but the production is threatened to be disrupted by war. Can Sonia find a new life for herself in her homeland? The judges write 'How can a production of Hamlet in the West Bank resonate with the residents' existential issues. Enter Ghost is a beautiful, profound meditation on the role of art in our society and our lives.' British-Palestinian author Hammad is known for her previous novel The Parisian (2019),
A woman struggles with the change of her identity that motherhood brings. She is consumed by the cycle of day-to-day parenting and no longer has time for herself. Her marriage is strained, the couple arguing. She has an all-consuming love for her child but doubts her abilities. The judges describe this as 'a beautiful and harrowing novel about what it can feel like to be a first time mother.' Irish author Kilroy is known for her previous novels including Tenderwire and The Devil I Know.
Mirinae Lee - 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster
Ms Mook, a resident at the Golden Sunset retirement home, shares her memories and reveals stories spanning decades and nations. She claims to have been a slave, spy, murderer, lover, mother. Could they all be true? Can these roles all belong to the same person? The judges write that this is 'an expansive novel that spans a century, obscuring and illuminating the trickster at its heart.' This is South Korean author Mirinae Lee's debut novel.
Karen Lord - The Blue, Beautiful World
Climate change has transformed the Earth. Watching from afar are other civilisations ready to make contact with humanity. A group of change makers are preparing for first contact, including an inventor, a celebrity and a popstar. The judges said 'quite literally takes a knife to climate change and opens up what humanity if going to look like in the future.' Barbadian author Karen Lord has written other works of science fiction including The Best of All Possible Worlds and The Galaxy Game.
Gopi is a keen squash player who has become obsessed with the sport since her mother died, distracting her from her grief. Trained by her father, she grows distant from her sisters. Maroo's debut novel, Western Lane was shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. The judges said 'One of those exquisite books in which not one word is wasted. It is beautifully written.'
Cousins Selasi and Akorfa share a birthdate and pretty much everything else. But when they become teenagers, one withdraws and changes. Later, as adults, they cross paths again and secrets from long ago surface. This novel explores family, class and discrimination, and the central importance of female friendship. The judges write ' moves like a love story between childhood, female friendship and buried truth; painful, intimate and beautifully written with characters you care for. A jewel of a book'. Medie's previous novel His Only Wife (2020) was well regarded. She holds a PhD in International Affairs and has written non-fiction on the subject.
London 1990. Tom Hargreaves is working as a reporter when he stumbles on a scoop involving a dead child. Carmel is grieving and lacks a support system. Her family of Irish immigrants face prejudice and are an easy target for the police investigation. The judges describe this as 'the insightful story of a family and the journalist who is trying to force a grisly murder tale out of them.' Megan Nolan is also known for her previous novel Acts of Desperation (2021).
Fourteen year old Alva is living in Shanghai in 2007. Her mother is a Caucasian American, but she never knew her Chinese father. Alva struggles when her mother marries Lu Fang, a rich landlord. Lescure is a French-Chinese writer. She has written for many publications, but River East, River West is her debut novel. The judges said 'It's original, it's funny, and it's sometimes heartbreaking as well.'
Cilla leaves Grenada for the UK, leaving behind her son Raef. Seven years later they are reunited, but still estranged by the years and distance between them. Exploring the long-term emotional impact of family separation, A Trace of Sun is Williams' debut novel, drawing on her own experiences as part of the Windrush generation. The judges called this 'a beautiful and heartbreaking story told over the passage of time, exploring what it means to be a woman and mother'.
My thoughts on the Longlist
This was an exciting list given there was so many surprises. I had expected to see Ann Patchett (Tom Lake), Zadie Smith (The Fraud), Sandra Newman (Julia) on the list, and had really hoped that Charlotte Wood's Stone Yard Devotional would be longlisted. Many of these authors I have not heard of, so I am delighted to be exposed to new writers. I also love that this is a global list with writers from the Caribbean, Palestine, Australia, Ireland, Canada, South Korea and beyond.
Last year's longlist gave me many hours of reading pleasure, so I am hopeful that this year's list will do the same. I have not finished any of these books, but I have just started The Wren, The Wren and I am seeing author Anne Enright at the All About Women festival on 10 March, so will start my exploration there. I am also keen to track down the works by Foster, Grenville, Hammad, Kilroy and Maroo.
If I had to pick a shortlist, I would choose Grenville, Hammad, Enright, Kilroy and Maroo to be among those listed.
The shortlist will be announced on 24 April 2024 and the winner will be revealed on 13 June 2024. Happy reading!
Want more Longlist fun? Here are the judges announcing the longlist.