The Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award shortlist 2020
The Authors’ Club announces the shortlist for the annual Best First Novel Award 2020. The shortlisted titles are as follows, with the judges’ assessments: CLAIRE ADAM Golden Child (Faber & Faber)
On a sultry night in Trinidad, an Indian father sets out to find his missing son. Tense, moving and richly atmospheric, it explores how our dreams for our children may be fraught with danger.GEORGE ALAGIAH, The Burning Land (Canongate)
A first-rate political thriller set in modern-day South Africa. Vividly written and masterfully constructed, Alagiah’s assured debut is full of suspense and sudden drama.DAMIAN BARR, You Will Be Safe Here (Bloomsbury)
Compelling from start to finish. Even the most threatening characters are sympathetically drawn and the parallel stories form a powerful exploration of Afrikaner identity and toxic masculinity.JOANNA GLEN, The Other Half of Augusta Hope (Borough Press)
This dazzling tale of a precocious girl’s rites of passage – and her attempts to discover a wide…
On a sultry night in Trinidad, an Indian father sets out to find his missing son. Tense, moving and richly atmospheric, it explores how our dreams for our children may be fraught with danger.GEORGE ALAGIAH, The Burning Land (Canongate)
A first-rate political thriller set in modern-day South Africa. Vividly written and masterfully constructed, Alagiah’s assured debut is full of suspense and sudden drama.DAMIAN BARR, You Will Be Safe Here (Bloomsbury)
Compelling from start to finish. Even the most threatening characters are sympathetically drawn and the parallel stories form a powerful exploration of Afrikaner identity and toxic masculinity.JOANNA GLEN, The Other Half of Augusta Hope (Borough Press)
This dazzling tale of a precocious girl’s rites of passage – and her attempts to discover a wide…