At a lunch last week, members of the Authors Club met to debate the shortlist of this year’s award – always a lively occasion. This year’s discussion was brisk and amicable. Some titles could be discarded quickly, having just squeaked on to the longlist in the first place. Others died harder. Here’s the list, with some commentary to follow.
THE SHORTLIST
Jakob’s Colours by Lindsay Hawdon (Hodder)
The Last Pilot by Benjamin Johncock (Myriad Editions)
The Good Son by Paul McVeigh (Salt)
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury Circus)
Belonging by Umi Sinha (Myriad Editions)
Rawblood by Catriona Ward (Weidenfeld)
And here’s the longlist:
Jakob’s Colours by Lindsay Hawdon (Hodder)
The Loney by Andrew Hurley (John Murray)
The Last Pilot by Benjamin Johncock (Myriad Editions)
The Speaker’s Wife by Quentin Letts (Constable)
The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (Harvill Secker)
The Good Son by Paul McVeigh (Salt)
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury Circus)
The House at the Edge of the World by Julia Rochester (Viking)
The Last Days of Disco by David F Ross (Orenda)
Belonging by Umi Sinha (Myriad Editions)
Mainlander by Will Smith (4th Estate)
Rawblood by Catriona Ward (Weidenfeld)
Throughout the year-long judging process, Belonging was the title that most appealed to our members, although on the day there was a dissenting voice (there’s always one!). In one of those weird conjunctions which often occur in prize judging, the hugely impressive The Loney ended up duelling with Rawblood (I liked both). Perhaps the biggest shock was the sudden crash of The Speaker’s Wife, up to then one of the most debated and enjoyed titles. A passionate intervention inspired a sudden reallocation of loyalties. The Good Son and Watchmaker started strong and remained so, garnering a range of positive reports. Jakob’s Colours was the stealth title that crept up and stubbornly refused to be dismissed.
Of the overall submissions, I’d like to highlight two: the exquisite Weathering by Lucy Wood (Bloomsbury), and The Flight of Sarah Battle by Alix Nathan (Parthian). The latter, set in 1790s London and Philadelphia, is that rarity, a historical novel which deals exclusively with those at the lower end of the social order – in this case London radicals ardently seeking political reform, with a particular focus on women throwing off the shackles of conventional marriage, a la Mary Wollstonecraft.
As always it’s a pleasure to read through the submissions and see how many impressive debuts are published each year, although that doesn’t make judging any easier. But our task is complete – it’s over to Anthony Quinn, this year’s guest adjudicator and himself a former BFNA winner, to make the final decision, announced on 7 June.