The Women's Prize for Fiction 2024 shortlist
The shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 has been announced! The Prize is awarded annually to the author of the best full-length novel of the year written in English and published in the UK. The winner receives £30,000, anonymously endowed, and the ‘Bessie’, a bronze statuette created by the artist Grizel Niven.
Monica Ali, the Women's Prize for Fiction 2024 chair of judges, says: 'This year’s shortlist features six brilliant, thought-provoking and spellbinding novels that between them capture an enormous breadth of the human experience. Readers will be captivated by the characters, the luminous writing and the exquisite storytelling. Each book is gloriously compelling and inventive and lingers in the heart and mind long after the final page.'
The six shortlisted books are:
The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright
From the Booker Prize-winning author Ann Enright, The Wren, The Wren is a generational saga that traces the inheritance not just of trauma but also of wonder. A testament to the glorious resilience of women in the face of promises false and true The Wren, The Wren is above all an exploration of the love between mother and daughter – sometimes fierce, often painful, but always transcendent.
'A psychologically astute examination of family dynamics and the nature of memory. Enright’s prose is gorgeous and evocative and scalpel sharp.' – Monica Ali, Women's Prize for Fiction judge
Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshananthan
Set against the backdrop of the vicious civil war that subsumed Sri Lanka, Brotherless Night is a searing novel about a young Tamil woman who dreams of becoming a doctor before she watches those around her, including her four beloved brothers and their best friend, get swept up in violent political ideologies and their consequences.
'A powerful book that has the intimacy of memoir, the range and ambition of an epic, and tells a truly unforgettable story about the Sri Lankan civil war.' – Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Women's Prize for Fiction judge
Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville
Inspired by Kate Grenville's own grandmother, Restless Dolly Maunder is a subversive and triumphant tale of a pioneering woman who battled against the limits and obstacles of 19th century Australia to make a life she could call her own.
'Grenville’s quiet and insightful prose makes this book a joy and an inspiration to read.' – Chris Gordon, community engagement and programming manager at Readings
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
Enter Ghost is an timely and thoughtful story about a British Palestinian actor who returns to her family's homeland and becomes involved in a production of Hamlet. A stunning rendering of present-day Palestine, Isabella Hammad's novel is a story of diaspora, displacement, and the connection to be found in family and shared resistance. An unforgettable story of artistry under occupation.
'Enter Ghost is a beautiful, profound meditation on the role of art in our society and our lives.' – Monica Ali, Women's Prize for Fiction judge
Soldier, Sailor by Claire Kilroy
In Soldier, Sailor, Claire Kilroy takes us deep into the early days of motherhood. Exploring the clash of fierce love for a new life with a seismic change in identity, she vividly realises the raw, tumultuous emotions of a new mother, as her marriage strains and she struggles with questions of love, autonomy and creativity.
'A full-bodied, remorseless, visceral deep dive into the maternal mind.' – Anna Whitehouse, Women's Prize for Fiction judge
River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure
A mesmerising reversal of the east-west immigrant narrative set against China's economic boom, River East, River West is a deeply moving exploration of race, identity and family, of capitalism's false promise and private dreams.