Shortlist revealed for £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize
The annual award goes to a first novel written in English and published in the UK.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Novels by Luke Cassidy, Tice Cin and Maddie Mortimer have been shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize.
Named after the literary agent and publisher Desmond Elliott, the annual award goes to a first novel written in English and published in the UK.
Cassidy’s Iron Annie, Keeping the House by Cin and Mortimer’s Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies are the three books in the running for the £10,000 prize.
Each book is inventive, transportive and possesses the ability to elicit that feeling of awe that every reader recognises when they’re reading a profound piece of literature
“All three titles on the shortlist feature female protagonists who have been dealt a difficult hand, from heartbreak to economic deprivation to a devastating medical diagnosis,” a statement from the organisers of the prize said.
Derek Owusu, who won the prize in 2020, is chair of this year’s judging panel, which also features award-winning journalist and author Symeon Brown and Cheltenham Literature Festival’s programme and commissioning manager, Lyndsey Fineran.
Owusu said: “This was a difficult shortlist to pull together as there were so many incredible books to choose from, but the three that we have chosen we feel best reflect the spirit of the Desmond Elliott Prize.
“Each book is inventive, transportive and possesses the ability to elicit that feeling of awe that every reader recognises when they’re reading a profound piece of literature.”
Iron Annie tells the tragic yet hopeful story of Aoife, a woman who knows almost everyone in Dundalk’s underworld.
“Luke Cassidy takes us on a road trip through the gritty underworld and complicated elements of friendship, love and society,” said Owusu.
“With a language all his own, Cassidy has produced an incredible debut, filled with energy, oddball characters and a lot of compassion.”
Spanning three generations, Keeping the House offers a fresh take on the machinery of the North London heroin trade, lifting the lid on a covert world thriving just beneath notice.
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies follows the story of Lia, after a sudden diagnosis upends her world, causing the boundaries between her past and her present to begin to collapse.
The winner of the award will be revealed on July 1.
Last year’s prize was won by AK Blakemore’s novel The Manningtree Witches.