By Caitlin Evans, Paridhi Badgotri, Ellie Brady and Thomas Caldow
The Women’s Prize for Fiction is run by the Women’s Prize Trust, an internationally renowned charity championing women writers. Highlighting a plethora of diverse writers, the prize aims to empower and inspire women across the globe by showcasing and celebrating nuanced and affecting female fiction. Here’s our run-down of the 2022 nominations.
Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith
This ghostly novel follows two Vietnamese women living in different decades, the 1980s and the 2010s – what binds them is that they have both gone missing, and both are out for revenge.
Careless by Kirsty Capes
Careless is an empathic coming-of-age story about a British teenage girl in the foster-care system who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and is forced to explore the bounds between conditional and unconditional love.
Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejidé
In Washington, DC, a taxi driver ferries passengers in a haunted car in an attempt to escape her overwhelming grief. When she is confronted by a long-lost family member, the pair thread together their stories of trauma and heartache.
Flamingo by Rachel Elliott
In this suburban tale of family, the garden décor flamingos are a beacon of hope and a symbol of good times. However, for two connected families, good times fade away when a loved one unexpectedly leaves.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Marian Graves is an independent woman with a need for flight and freedom. Set against the backdrop of prohibition America and wartime London, the novel follows Marian as she embarks on an attempt to fly around the globe, but disappears after a crash landing.
Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey
This novel is set in and around a German concentration camp in the height and aftermath of World War II, following an officer’s wife living in a small community attached to the camp who befriends a prisoner.
Salt Lick by Lulu Allison
Lulu Allison’s new offering transports us to a bleak dystopian Britain, worryingly similar to our own. Following the lives of three young people attempting to make their way in this dangerous alternate reality, Allison powerfully examines the loss of our relationship with nature.
Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
Following the separation of a couple amid the struggle to cope with a serious medical diagnosis, Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss is by turns beautiful, moving and incredibly funny. A story of self-rediscovery which will undoubtedly prove to be a hit.
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
Ozeki’s book gives a power and voice to materials surrounding the child protagonist. The child finds a sense of calmness through the public library. He meets a street artist and a homeless philosopher who encourage him to find his unique voice amidst many other voices.
The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini
Allen-Agostini depicts the story of a middle-aged Trinidadian female, Alethea, unravelling the memories of her brutal past. When she is informed of a woman’s murder by her toxic lover, she starts understanding her own identity.
The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson
This exhibition of a family drama by Mendelson portrays the life of two married artists and their children going through a defining phase of their lives. The wife, Lucia, has always given her attention to the household duties first. However, she decides to change as her husband’s art exhibition is unfolding on the coming weekend.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
The novel is based on a Black female punk artist who wants to make a space for herself in the music industry. Her rival band poses with a Confederate flag. She is not a woman who is going to ignore it – her rebellion against the band leads to harsh consequences.
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Shafak uses the voice of a tree to approach the history of Cyprus’ clashing nationalism. It follows the story of two teenagers who are living in a divided island with narratives of time, love, trauma and belonging.
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
The story is centred around a female protagonist for whom the paper palace near a pond is a place where she finds her sense of belonging. In the summer of Cape Cod, the woman has to make a life-changing decision.
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Erdrich’s novel is a subversive and witty take on the ghost story. In this funny, powerful tale, he delves into the chaotic missteps of Tookie, an ex-convict working in a Minneapolis bookstore currently being haunted by an irritating ex-customer.
This One Sky Day by Leone Ross
In the archipelago of Popisho, cors – or magic – exists in everyone. Ross’ magical realism explores both the political and personal in a novel that has been in the works for fifteen years, and its richness is a testament to this effort.
This fantastic prize’s shortlist will be released on 27 April before revealing its winning entry on 15 June.