As has become tradition at TOAST, it’s the time of year when I review the Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist. However, before I delve into those six titles, I’d like to mention a few of the longlisted books that I loved but which didn’t make the cut.
Nesting by Roisín O’Donnell is a brilliantly stressful read, following the lives of a woman and her children fleeing an abusive relationship and becoming entangled in a failed housing system. I don’t remember the last time I rooted for a series of characters as much as I did here. I’m pretty sure I even shouted at the book at one point, pointlessly trying to persuade the characters to make better decisions. It was utterly compelling.
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami is perfect for fans of Black Mirror. Topped only by Hum by Helen Phillips, it’s the best speculative fiction I’ve read so far this year, set in a world where the government tracks your dreams, assesses your ‘risk factor’ for committing crimes, and detains you if they think you’re in danger of doing something they don’t agree with.
Amma by Saraid de Silva is the book I’d recommend to those who loved last year’s winner, Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan. Set across Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, it’s a queer family saga, tracking secrets and trauma throughout the decades.
Now, on to the actual shortlist. Good Girl by Aria Aber was probably my least favourite from this year’s list but only due to personal taste. Think Sally Rooney but set in Berlin. We’re following Nila as she parties hard, hides her family history, and meets a male writer who wants to control her narrative.
Tell Me Everything is yet another book from the Elizabeth Strout canon. I’ve only read a couple of these interconnected novels, so I felt a bit intimidated when starting this, but I was quickly reassured. You definitely don’t need to know these characters already; the book stands on its own two feet. Tell Me Everything follows Lucy Barton and Bob Burgess, the walks they take together, and the friendship they share. It’s about the fleeting and not-so-fleeting interactions we have with one another; about how we can never truly see into someone’s soul – the ultimate sadness and joy of that.
Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis is a book that manages to be very funny despite its serious subject matter. Nadia, an academic, has been dumped by her girlfriend and seemingly disowned by her mother, so she accepts a job in Iraq, where she meets Sara, an opinionated Londoner who joined ISIS when she was fifteen. Tasked with trying to rehabilitate her and other women, Nadia finds herself out of her depth and desperate to make it work. Written by an author who has first-hand experience of this job, it’s an eye-opening look into the bureaucratic nature of international aid.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden is for fans of Sarah Waters. It’s one of those books you can’t really discuss without spoiling, so I’ll just encourage you to pick it up if you’re a fan of queer historical fiction. It’s full of cutting dialogue, tense moments, and it’s very sexy, too.
The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji manages to be both hilarious and profound. Following three generations of a once wealthy and famous Iranian family, this is a novel about the gap between perception and reality, reputation and truth, with the younger members of this family investigating what they’ve been told about their ancestors – effectively putting their past on trial.
Finally, I’ve been pitching All Fours by Miranda July as “erotic Wes Anderson” – and if that slightly bizarre summary appeals to you then I predict you will enjoy it. A woman in her forties decides to drive across America for work, but half an hour down the road she pulls into a motel instead, spends $20,000 redecorating the room she’s rented out, and stays there for two weeks without telling her family. It’s outrageous, funny, and touching, too, with important conversations about menopause, identity, and desire.
Have you read any of this year’s Women’s Prize books? Let us know in a comment below before midnight (BST) Wednesday 11 June for the chance to win a copy of this year’s six shortlisted titles. The giveaway winner will be selected at random, and you will be contacted by email if successful.
The winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction will be announced on Thursday 12 June.
Jen Campbell is a bestselling author and disability advocate. She has written fourteen books for children and adults, the latest of which is Please Do Not Touch This Exhibit. She also writes for TOAST Book Club.
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