The Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist is so good, you'll want to cancel all upcoming plans
Gorgeous girls that read, and all fellow bookworms from around the world will agree that the Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist is our Eras Tour. This year, in it's 29th iteration, the Women’s Prize for Fiction might just be the best yet: a treasure trove of stories, each one a powerful testament to the diverse experiences of women around the world. The. Dream.
Women's voices have always been a force to be reckoned with. We've got tales that'll make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. These 16 novels challenge the status quo, break down barriers, and give a voice to those who've been silenced for far too long. And that's where the Women's Prize for Fiction comes in – it's like the ultimate cheerleader for female storytellers, giving them the platform they deserve to share their truths with the world. We love how many of the below books are by debut authors, and they couldn’t be more original and diverse.
From heartfelt dramas to mind-bending mysteries, exploring so many different cultures and places, this longlist has it all – and what’s more, a lot of them are already out in paperback, making this a *cheaper* obsession (#girlmath). Mark your calendars: the shortlist is out on the 24th of April. The countdown to the is officially on, and we couldn't be more excited to see which literary gems will shine brightest in the next chapter of the Women's Prize for Fiction saga.
Shop more of the best new books – from romance novels to the best autobiographies – this way.
Ahead, the full Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
A Trace of Sun by Pam Williams
A Trace of Sun is a story that will not leave you for a very long time. Knowing this novel was inspired by the author’s own family journey gives the reading experience an added poignancy that is so hard to capture. Raef is left in Grenada whilst his mother leaves to England, pursuing a better life. Seven years later they meet again, tied by familial bonds but in reality strangers. With familial secrets that threaten to drive them apart, Raef cant help but question who he is. This is a finely balanced book – there are moments of such inspiring hope amidst the heartbreak and powerful plot.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure
River East, River West has such a unique and expansive setting, just the context of the novel and the way the debut author uses the China economic boom and the plot trajectory for one family's split makes this so brilliant. Lu Fang is a shipping clerk with big dreams, living in Qingdao in 1985. When China opens to foreigners, he meets a woman who changes his expectations. In 2007 Shanghai, 14 year old Alva is plotting her escape, her American mother is engaged to their landlord Lu Fang, and she is not happy. Exploring history, race, family and the constant change of destiny, Lescure takes a large story and makes it personal.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
We did tell you the Women’s Prize Fiction Longlist had something for everyone, and here is the proof. For all our true crime, thriller, and historical fiction fans, this is the one you need to order straight away. Inspired by a real life murder trial and already winning a crime debut award, this is a brilliant new book from a writer you will love. Lady Christian has been charged with the murder of her lover in Edinburgh 1679. The scandal has engulfed society, with her affair used as evidence of her guilt, even though there are other suspects with the requisite motive for murder.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
This debut is as funny as it is heartbreaking, a hard balance to achieve for the most experienced of writers. Readers go on a journey with our protagonist, who is returning home to sub-Saharan Africa after a twenty-six year exile in America. He is back to find his dying brother and on his way he finds identity and connection through the tumult and chaos of his quest. The prose is vivid and rich, with a satire to the story that lifts the plot. The juxtaposition between America and Africa is almost surreal – this reads at times like a mystery and at others a slapstick tragedy. Truly original.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
Being called “a vital storyteller” by Ali Smith is no small accolade, and this thought-provoking and layered novel is only growing in recognition from the literary world. Actress Sonia is reeling from the drama of a doomed relationship and returns to her family’s home in Haifa after living in London, to visit her older sister Haneen. She tentatively joins a production of Hamlet in the West Bank, comprised of a boisterous, competitive group of male actors, which is facing many obstacles before opening night. Hammad explores themes of identity, art, love, legacy, and what home represents both individually and collectively.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee
8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster is an intriguing title, encapsulating a poignant, beautiful, funny, and harrowing book that feels like a number of short stories all connected by the elusive and hilarious Ms Mook. Living at a retirement home, she tells her life story to an obituarist who doesn’t believe one person could have lived through so many experiences. From World War Two Indonesia to a church in China, with many identities and a healthy dose of danger, you will want to know more about this unique character.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord
Proof of the Women’s Prize ability to bring together the broadest range of readers and books, The Blue, Beautiful World is a welcome addition to the longlist. It is rare that a work of science fiction is included in a general fiction award, and what a novel to enjoy more attention. This is a genuinely unique and original story set in a future that feels awfully close to reality. As climate change impacts every part of life, humanity needs to change, and there are other beings who have been watching from afar that are ready to make contact. With an eclectic group of characters and a fast-paced plot, this is a book that will keep you hooked.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie
Nightbloom is a razor sharp novel that is the kind of book you will read in one sitting, and then be annoyed you finished it so quickly. A story of female friendship, Selasi and Akorfa are cousins that are the best of friends. Growing up on a small town in Ghana, they dream of their future lives together but as teens the differences between them create a divide that ends their closeness. Years later, they live in different worlds, one the in the USA, the other in Accra. But now they are old enough to confront childhood trauma in the midst of a family crisis.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
Chances are, you've already heard about this one. It was shortlisted for The Booker Prize last year and has received a huge amount of critical acclaim. Did we mention the magical stamp of approval from Sally Rooney? A dazzling novel about grief, sisterhood and growing up.
Gopi is eleven and obsessed with sport. This fixation only escalates when her mother dies, her life singularly focused. Exploring immigration, identity, and so much more, it is quite astonishing how much is achieved in such a short debut. There is a real tenderness that is genuinely moving and a lyricism that gives this a poetic feel.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan
Megan Nolan can do no wrong. She deserves her place on this list and if you haven’t read her latest book, what on earth have you been doing? This has all the angles – it's something for the true crime girls, for the literati crowd and not forgetting fans of Irish fiction. Find yourself in 1990’s London, in the midst of the death of a young girl on an estate with suspicion firmly on one reclusive Irish family. As the court of public opinion grows and scandal unfolds, generational secrets dare are confronted. This has Nolan’s inimitable lilt; her tone is conversational and yet not a word is wasted.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
Restless Dolly Maunder by Kate Grenville
This Australian novel has already won many plaudits in its home territory, and with good reason. Set in the 19th century in a rural New South Wales sheep farm, you feel the suffocation of Dolly, wholly different to her siblings, and uninterested in the expected marital and maternal journey her life will take. She wants more, beyond the boundaries of family and chores, yearning to see the world. As war spreads across Europe, the risks grow greater. This is the story of one amazingly bold and fierce woman and her tenacious perseverance in the face of challenge and historical misogyny.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott
There is so much to adore in And Then She Fell. From the story and characters to the Native American mythology and legend weaved into the prose, this one will appeal to so many readers. Alice seems to have it all – a new home, a beautiful baby girl, a loving husband, and a career that ties into her own Mohawk culture. That’s when the voices start. But things start talking that shouldn’t have a voice, and she begins to unravel. Exploring motherhood, legacy, and mental health with a dose of humour and vivid prose, this is a book you wont be able to put down from beginning to end.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
There are books that are so transportive and expansive, you close your eyes and suddenly you are far away, in an unrecognisable world. This is Brotherless Night, a story set in the midst of the Sri Lankan civil war, with our main character the unforgettable sixteen-year-old Sashi who yearns to become a doctor. She witnesses unrelenting and brutal violence as political battle lines are drawn all around her. Written with an emotional depth that is so moving (have tissues to hand is our suggestion), reading this was an education as well as being a beautiful and important novel that deserves to be elevated by the prize.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
In Defence of the Act by Effie Black
This is one of those books that we are extra delighted to see on the longlist. Published by a small independent house, from a writer with a science background who is unafraid to tackle the hard and difficult questions. Jessica Miller is a researcher in evolutionary psychology, who is facing her own demons and is fascinated by the human desire to end their own life and is secretly questioning whether this is an inherently bad thing. Whilst exploring her own queer identity, a single event makes her revaluate everything she has ever known.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright
Let’s be honest, is anyone surprised to see Enwright gracing the longlist with her presence? A writer at the height of her powers who has already won awards and endless praise for her latest offering, The Wren, The Wren.
It has been called a must read by our patron saint Margaret Attwood, so you know you need to read this whatever else anyone says. She focuses her attention on the tug of war between mother and child, that ever changing dynamic. Nell leaves homes in search of adventure, leaving her mother behind with the shadow of her famous poet father and the tumultuous life shared.
Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist 2024
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy
This. Book. It is the most visceral and raw portrayal of new motherhood and loss of identity that we have ever read. Kilroy is utterly majestic, delving deep into the complexities of relationships and the human psyche. It has received rave reviews from across the literary world – and in this case, believe the hype. As our heroine grapples with a strained marriage and a loss of autonomy and creativity, an old friend threatens all. You are in her mind from beginning to end, and it's an astonishing experience. A worthy contender in this year's long list, and possibly the most relatable of the lot.
