LONDON (AP) Novels that explore forgotten and neglected communities in Britain, the U.S. and the Caribbean were named finalists on Wednesday for the 30,000 pound ($42,000) Womens Prize for fiction.
The six-book shortlist includes American author Brit Bennetts tale of twins who take different paths, The Vanishing Half, U.S. writer Patricia Lockwoods social media satire No One is Talking About This and Transcendent Kingdom, a story of African immigrants in Alabama by Ghanaian-American writer Yaa Gyasi.
Also in the running are Barbadian writer Cherie Jones story of gritty life on a beautiful island, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, and two books by British writers: Susanna Clarkes literary fantasy Piranesi and Claire Fullers rural family saga Unsettled Ground.
Booker Prize-winning novelist Bernardine Evaristo, who is chairing the judging panel, said several of the novels depicted communities that arent really written about in fiction and tough subjects such as domestic violence, addiction and depression.
But theyre not miserable books, she said. Theyre all really beautifully crafted stories. Theyre not lightweight, but they are a thrilling read.
Founded in 1996, the prize is open to female English-language writers from around the world. Previous winners include Zadie Smith, Tayari Jones and Maggie OFarrell.
Only one of this years finalists, Fuller, has published more than two books. Bennett, Clarke and Gyasi are nominated for their second published novels, while Lockwood and Jones are debut novelists.
Evaristo said the five judges werent looking at whether they were debut novels. We werent even looking at the authors. It was the books, and whether the books spoke to us.
I think it might speak to the fact that perhaps there arent as many older women writers who have had long careers getting published, said Evaristo, who won the Booker Prize in 2019 with her eighth novel, Girl, Woman, Other.
There always seem to be lots of debuts around, but sustaining a long career is something thats perhaps harder to do.
The winner of the 2021 Womens Prize will be announced July 7 at a ceremony in London.