It’s nearly time for one of my favourite book awards of the year to announce its 2019 longlist! That’s right, the Women’s Prize for Fiction announcement is coming up on March 4, less than a week from now! I haven’t had the best reading year, so I haven’t read very many books that are eligible for this year’s prize – let alone ones that I think will be selected. But I have been keeping up with reviews and buzz, so I still have some guesses. Here are the books I think have a good shot at making it – and after the list I’ll tell you which I would really like to see on the list!
Criteria:
Books that are eligible for the Women’s Prize must have been published in the UK between the beginning of April 2018 and the end of March 2019. The books don’t have to be by British authors, but must have been written originally in English.
First a few obvious picks that have already been nominated for at least one award:
Of these I’ve read Normal People and partially read Washington Black and Milkman. Based on what I’ve read, I think all three deserve a spot. The first five of these were nominated for the Man Booker Prize this year, and Motherhood, Washington Black, Split Tooth and An Ocean of Minutes were nominated for the Canadian Scotiabank Giller Prize. From a patriotic standpoint, I’m really rooting for all the Giller Prize nominees, though Washington Black and Motherhood are the two I think have the best shot.
And a few that, based on what I’ve been hearing, I would be very surprised not to see on the list:
I’ve read part of Transcription and My Year of Rest and Relaxation and both impressed me in terms of writing style and have been widely praised. Women Talking is another by a Canadian author (woop woop!), and if I had to pick one book from this list other than those previously nominated for awards that I think is likely to make the longlist, this would be it. I’ve heard almost nothing negative about it, and it it really seems to have sparked discussion and a lot of thought. Circe is one of three retellings of Greek myth on my list. In addition to having received a lot of praise, Madeline Miller also won the Women’s Prize (then the Orange Prize) for her earlier novel, Song of Achilles.
Two that are best known for being on Sarah Jessica Parker’s new publishing imprint I think could make it:
A Place for Us has been well reviewed, and Golden Child only just came out so it could go either way.
And here are a few others that I’ve heard good things about:
I don’t have a lot to say about most of these books – I haven’t ready any of them, but I’ve heard great things about all of them. Unsheltered is the one from this group that I’m most rooting for, simply because I absolutely adore Barbara Kingsolver’s writing and a few of her previous books are all-time favourites of mine.
Then there are a few books that either haven’t come out yet (but I believe will come out in time to be eligible) or have just come out that I think might have a shot:
Again, I don’t know much about any of these but I’ve heard just enough to make them seem like they could make it – particularly Spring, since Ali Smith is… well, Ali Smith.
And finally there are three books that I’ve heard great things about, but that I’m not sure will meet the word count as they are quite slim:
I’ve heard such wonderful things about all three of these books, and they all sound unique. I’ll be interested to see if any make the requirements as it’s very difficult to find word counts on novels online!
I believe the longlist is usually sixteen books, so if I had to choose from all of these titles, these are the ones I think are most likely to make it:
- Normal People by Sally Rooney
- Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
- Women Talking by Miriam Toews
- Transcription by Kate Atkinson
- My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
- Milkman by Anna Burns
- Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
- The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
- Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss
- Crudo by Olivia Laing
- The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
- Spring by Ali Smith
- Motherhood by Sheila Heti
- The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
As for which I am most hopeful for, here they are:
- Normal People by Sally Rooney
- Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
- Women Talking by Miriam Toews
- Transcription by Kate Atkinson
- My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
- Milkman by Anna Burns
- Crudo by Olivia Laing
- Motherhood by Sheila Heti
- Spring by Ali Smith
- The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
- Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
- Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq
- An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim
So that’s it for my predictions and hopes, but I’d love to hear from you guys. Which of these have you read? If you’ve made a list (and please link me), are any of these on it? Which do you most hope make the cut, and which books have I missed that really should be on here? As always, share in the comments, and I’ll be back next week to debrief on the longlist once it’s announced!