One of the Hoarders most anticipated literary prizes was announced today. Every year, the Women’s Prize for Fiction announces its Longlist on International Women’s Day. 16 books made the longlist for the 2018 prize and I’m thrilled to say that so many on this list are sitting on my shelves and on my e-reader! Only one on the list has been read, and by both of us here.
Let’s take a closer look at the list:
H(A)PPY by Nicola Barker
The Idiot by Elif Batuman (own it!)
Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon (queued up on the Kobo!)
Miss Burma by Charmaine Craig (also on the Kobo)
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan (own it!)
The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar (also on the Kobo)
Sight by Jessie Greengrass (a new to me title!)
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (the only one on this list I’ve read. And loved)
When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife by Meena Kandasamy (have heard of it, and still contemplating adding it to the TBR. Looks like a searing read.)
Elmet by Fiona Mozley (own it!)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (own it!)
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt (on the Kobo)
A Boy in Winter by Rachel Seiffert (just added to the TBR, our library has it available)
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (own it!)
The Trick to Time by Kit de Waal (this one isn’t released until March 29th, just making the deadline for the prize)
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (on the TBR!)
I think this is a very exciting list, with maybe two or three that I guessed might have appeared on the list. I’m really excited that I own so many, so I’m looking forward to having the proper excuse to read through them!
What do you think of the list? Are there any on here that you are particularly looking forward to reading? Can you think of any that you wanted to see on this list and are missing? There is a definite and sad absence of Canadians here, and I thought perhaps Sharon Bala’s The Boat People would have made the list.
The Guardian has already written about the list, announcing it as “outward looking”.
I’ve edited this to show the covers of the books that we have here – the ones above are the UK covers (obviously) – and sometimes the covers are different here, but it’s always fun to look at book covers isn’t it?
