Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is one of the UK’s most prestigious literary awards. Held annually, the prize is awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel. The prize was established to recognise female authors, whom many considered at that time were being overlooked. In particular, the Women’s Prize for Fiction was a reaction to the all-male shortlist for the 1991 Booker Prize. In this article we’ll cover all 16 books that made the longlist, updating it once we know who made the shortlist and eventually – who has been crowned the winner.

Let’s explore the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020 books…

Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020 Longlist

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara

A debut novel that is set in a sprawling Indian city, where three friends venture into the most dangerous corners to find their missing classmate. Drawing on real incidents of disappearances in India, the story unfolds a tragedy through the eyes of a child.

“A stunningly original tale. I stayed up late every night until I finished, reluctant to part from Deepa Anappara’s heart-stealing characters.” – Etaf Rum

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

When Toby Fleishman’s ex-wife drops the kids off at his house and never returns, he is faced with questioning the choices he’s made in his life that have led him to this moment. He searches for answers.

“Everything you could wish for in a satisfying summer read. Taffy Brodesser-Anker’s page-turner doubles as a satirical take on modern relationships.” – Women’s Health

Queenie by Sophie Hardach

A story of Queenie Jenkins, a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London who goes looking for love and finds something very different in its place. Described as Bridget Jones’ Diary meets Americanah.

“A must-read novel about sex, selfhood, and the best friendships that get is through it all” – Candance Bushnell

Actress by Anne Enright

The story of the daughter of an Irish theater legend who decides to retrace her mother’s celebrated career and bohemian life. A novel about celebrity, sexual power, and a daughter’s search to understand her Mother’s hidden truths.

“Anne Enright writes so well that she just might ruin you for anyone else…Stripped raw of any sentimentality, the result is a critique, a confession, a love letter.” – Ron Charles, Washington Post

Nightingale Point by Luan Goldie

Set in 1996, the novel tells the beautiful and heartbreaking story about working-class people and their lives both before and after a tragedy. Everything is changed and the residents of Nightingale Point must find a way back.

“A compelling novel, one in which the humanity of characters is movingly articulated. A finely crafted and compassionate novel.” – Guardian

How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee

A twelve-year-old boy called Kevin overhears his ailing grandmother mumble a confession of her time during World War 2 in Singapore. The novel weaves together two timelines as we discover more about her past.

“This is a brilliant, heartbreaking story with an unforgettable image of how women were silenced and disappeared by both war and culture.” – Xinran

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

The tale of August Hope, a young girl who feels like she has never fit in. As an adult, Augusta encounters an unspeakable tragedy that propels her headfirst into the unknown. She embarks on a mission to find where she belongs.

“Lombardo captures the complexity of a large family with characters who light up the page with their competition, secrets, and worries…A rich and rewarding family saga.” – Publishers Weekly

Girl by Edna O’Brien

A harrowing portrayal of a young woman abducted by Boko Haram. Set in the deep countryside of northeast Nigeria, this is a brutal story of escape from incarceration to a hostile world.

“Hypnotic, lyrical and pulsating with dark energy, Girl is a masterful study of human evil by a writer who, at 88, is still getting better. It will blast you with its searing, savage beauty.” – Christina Patterson, The Times

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is tested.

“You won’t want to put down this engrossing, warmhearted book even after you’ve read the last page.” – NPR

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

An unexpected teenage pregnancy pulls together two families from different social classes and exposes the private hopes, disappointments, and longings that can bind or divide us from each other.

“Profoundly moving … With its abiding interest in the miracle of everyday love, Red at the Bone is a proclamation.” – The New York Times Book Review

Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020 Shortlist

Dominicana by Angie Cruz

A coming of age story of a young immigrant from the Dominican Republic who finds herself in New York City in a loveless marriage. When her husband returns home, she begins to consider her new life in America.

“Cruz tells the story with a raucous sense of humor and writes in short, present-tense chapters that help make this a propulsive though heartbreaking read.” – BuzzFeed

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

A sprawling book that follows the accounts of twelve interconnected characters in modern-day Britain. The book covers many themes, including politics, parenthood, sexuality, racism, immigration, domestic violence and so much more.

“Not just one of my favorite books of this year, but one of the most insightful books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.” – Nicola Sturgeon, Guardian

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

A retelling of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective. Cerusa wakes to find her beloved Troy in flames, the Greeks have been victorious in a conflict that has lasted ten years. Her life has turned to ash.

“Natalie Haynes is swiftly becoming this generation’s Mary Renault; her retelling of the Trojan war from an all-female perspective, A Thousand Ships, is her best yet.” – Observer

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

The final book of a trilogy, Hilary Mantel traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell. A boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power. Cromwell is as complex as he is unforgettable.

“A masterpiece…A novel of epic proportions [that is] every bit as thrilling, propulsive, darkly comic, and stupendously intelligent as its predecessors.” – Alexandra Harris, The Guardian

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

England, 1580: The Black Death creeps across the land, an ever-present threat, infecting the healthy, the sick, the old and the young, alike. The end of days is near, but life always goes on.

“Heartstopping. Hamnet does for the Shakespeare story what Jean Rhys did for Jane Eyre, inhabiting it, enlarging it and enriching it in ways that will alter the readers view for ever” – Patrick Gale

Weather by Jenny Offill

A librarian finds deep meaning and deep despair in her side job as an armchair therapist. However, as she tries to save everyone – it’s actually herself who is driven to her limits and struggles to cope.

“Tiny in size but immense in scope, radically disorienting yet reassuringly humane, strikingly eccentric and completely irresistible…utterly exhilarating in its wit and intelligence…luminous.” – The Boston Globe

We hope you enjoyed this compilation of the books nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020. If you enjoyed this list, you may enjoy the Costa Book Awards 2019.