Women's Prize For Fiction

“Imagine the Trojan War through the eyes of a woman. Would Achilles still be mighty or King Agamemnon so commanding? In "The Silence of the Girls," Pat Barker dares to conquer the re-telling of this tragic tale through Briseis, once Queen of Lyrnessus. Devastated by the destruction of her family at the hands of Achilles, Briseis is claimed as a prize for his pleasure and forced to servitude in the Greek camp. When the camp is cursed and pestilence soon follows, Briseis quickly becomes a pawn between Achilles and King Agamemnon with deadly consequences. Mythology lovers, take note. Barker’s twist on “The Iliad” is outstanding. In fact, it’s epic. I loved every page!”

“My Sister, the Serial Killer is one of the best books to come along in quite a while — fast, funny, and completely engrossing. Oyinkan Braithwaite offers up a tale of Nigerian sisters Ayoola, a beautiful and sociopathic serial killer who destroys boyfriends, aware that all they ever want her for is her appearance, and Korede, a nurse whose average looks leave her continually passed up in preference for Ayoola. Still, taciturn and devoted Korede works hard to cover up her charming sister’s crimes. What will happen when they both fall for the same guy? At once a page-turner and a perversely righteous tale about the emptiness of physical beauty and the superficiality of being charmed by it, My Sister, the Serial Killer is entertaining, provoking, and utterly fascinating!”

“Sarah Moss writes with a lyricism and an intelligence unlike any other author, and in Ghost Wall she deftly weaves threads of history, power, gender, and obsession into a stunning story that envelops you from the very first page. Lovely and haunting, Ghost Wall is both a powerful glimpse at how humanity interprets its history and a chilling reminder that the lines between past, present, and future are not always as clear as they seem.”

“Beautifully composed and deeply compelling, Circe is hands-down one of the best novels of 2018. As she did in Song of Achilles, Miller recreates the ancient and enchanting world of Greek mythology, this time focusing on ocean nymph Circe. Cast out of her home and exiled to the island of Aiaia, Circe turns not only to her enchantments, but also to the world of Mortals, becoming close with legendary figures like Daedalus, Odysseus, and Penelope. Miller’s delicate, yet stunning prose swept me off my feet — I wanted to savor every moment with Circe in her immortal world. Introspective, soft, at times simply breathtaking, but always beautiful. So, so beautiful.”

“Tayari Jones comes in fierce with An American Marriage. Delving into the lives of the newly married Roy and Celestial, this is a novel that pulls no punches from beginning to end. I won't ruin the surprise, but they're hit with a harrowing event that will define not only their relationship, but each of their lives, forever. Writing with an intensity and pace worthy of Donna Tartt, Jones yanks us into her characters' lives with a grip that never lets up. I cannot wait to put this in people's hands!”

“The unnamed protagonist of MILKMAN stands out for the wrong reasons. She reads while walking, for one; she's been taking French night classes downtown; and she goes running by herself through the streets of her unnamed city under the control of an unnamed government and filled with the violence of an unnamed civil conflict. Then, when a local paramilitary named Milkman begins pursuing her, she suddenly becomes "interesting," the last thing she ever wanted to be. Set amidst the Troubles in Northern Ireland, MILKMAN is a relentless, incisive, claustrophobic, and darkly funny book about the power of gossip, rumor, insinuation, and how to carry on in a community where the wrong flag, the wrong religion, or even a sunset can be subversive and dangerous. Because MILKMAN is written in such a breathless torrent of language, the audiobook and its reader (with her fabulous Irish accent) taps into the conversational and emotional cadence of its narrator so well I couldn't stop listening.”

“This is unlike any other book I've read lately. All four characters are so vivid in my mind that it feels like we were all in the Volvo together and maybe my cardboard box was in among theirs.”

“What a treat to discover Sally Rooney! This novel stands out shining from the current onslaught of mediocre prose and less-than-suspenseful thriller plots. Normal People is the story of a relationship between two high school classmates in a small town in Ireland, and how it changes over time, through their last year of college in Dublin. Rooney’s spare and brilliant writing illuminates her insight and makes the unfolding of these two personalities completely compelling.”