Today was initially scheduled to be the day when the winner of this year's Women's Prize for Fiction would be announced. But, because of restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic, it's now been moved to September 8th. That gives more time for people to read or reread the six novels that have been shortlisted and discuss them. I've certainly been enjoying hearing everyone's thoughts about the books and listening to the Women's Prize podcast where groups of readers have been engaging in fascinating conversations about this stellar fiction.
I thought it's worth posting my brief thoughts and reflections about this year's shortlist beyond the silly live reaction video I made with Anna. Some of the best books I've read so far this year are on the shortlist including “Transcendent Kingdom” and “Unsettled Ground”. I first read “The Vanishing Half” last summer and it was certainly one of the best books I read last year. One of the great things about book prizes is that it encourages you to compare novels which are very different from each other. But, by considering them side by side, you can find surprising common themes or ideas being dramatised in different contexts.
In a sense, the narrators of both “No One is Talking About This” and “Piranesi” are trapped in a kind of labyrinth of the mind. The mothers in both “The Vanishing Half” and “Unsettled Ground” conceal essential truths from their daughters. The characters in “Transcendent Kingdom” and “How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House” all must live with the consequences of ideologically and economically divided societies. Rather than viewing these novels in competition with each other I think it's more pleasurable to consider how their different points of view can help us better understand these issues and the many other matters that they raise.
Of course, I connected with some books more than others but I certainly appreciated reading all six of these shortlisted novels – as well as many others on the longlist such as “Luster” and “Detransition, Baby”. So I wouldn't be mad to see any one of the novels up for this year's prize win. If I had to pick a favourite to get behind it'd probably be “Transcendent Kingdom”. Despite it only being Gyasi's second novel I think it's tremendously accomplished and confronts a lot of issues that we normally swerve around. It's a story I found incredibly moving and that I keep reflecting upon. But, since we still won't find out the winner for another couple of months, I hope there will be more discussion and debate about these books because there's certainly a lot more to be said and enjoyed from delving into these wonderful stories.
