The Authors’ Club is delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2025 Best First Novel Award, now in its 71st year.
Lucy Popescu, chairing the judging panel, commented: “We are thrilled to announce our shortlist of six outstanding debuts. These brilliant novelists cover complex issues including state repression, belonging and identity, rural life, masculinity, loss and bereavement. These are diverse and compelling narratives written with real flair and compassion.”
The winning novel will be selected by this year’s guest adjudicator, the novelist Tracy Chevalier, and announced at a dinner at the National Liberal Club in London on 21 May. The shortlisted books, with the judges’ comments, are as follows:
All My Precious Madness by Mark Bowles (Galley Beggar Press)
A poignant meditation on a son’s love for his father, masculinity, the desire for human connection, and the consolations of poetry. Bowles’s controlled, satirical novel is unforgettable.
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Sceptre)
An atmospheric, multi-layered novel combining elements of sci-fi, fantasy, spy thriller and romantic fiction. Utterly original, Bradley’s debut is a masterclass in compelling storytelling.
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon (Fig Tree)
An inventive, bittersweet novel about the power of the imagination. Lennon skilfully weaves the Irish vernacular into his tale; his imaginative characterisation and evocative descriptions are a joy.
The Borrowed Hills by Scott Preston (John Murray)
Preston’s economical, atmospheric, sometimes lyrical writing, brings the hardships of hill farming vividly to life. His driving narrative, powers of description and imagery are stunning.
Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili (Bloomsbury)
A haunted and haunting debut about love and loss, Vardiashvili transports us to Georgia in the noughties. A powerful account of the devastation wrought by war and its far-reaching effects.
Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen (Swift Press)
Set in China during the 1970’s and 80’s, culminating in the mass student uprising in Tiananmen Square and its harrowing aftermath, Wen’s outstanding, epic tale is beautifully told.
Key dates
Weds 30 April: Meet the shortlisted writers at the National Liberal Club, London, SW1A 2HE
Weds 21 May: The winner will be announced at a dinner at the National Liberal Club
About the prize
The prize is open to any debut novel written in English and published in the UK between 1 Jan and 31 Dec 2024. The prize of £2500 exists to support UK-based authors, publishers and agents, so the novel must originate in the UK and not have been published anywhere else in the world before its UK publication.
Inaugurated in 1954, the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award is now in its 71st year, making it the longest-running UK prize for debut fiction and – except for the James Tait Black and the Hawthornden – the oldest literary prize in Britain.
Past winners have included Brian Moore, Alan Sillitoe, Paul Bailey, Gilbert Adair, Nadeem Aslam, Diran Adebayo, Jackie Kay, Susan Fletcher, Laura Beatty, Anthony Quinn, Kevin Barry, Ros Barber, Hisayo Rowan Buchanan, Gail Honeyman, Guy Gunaratne, Claire Adam, Ingrid Persaud, Tish Delaney and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo. Last year’s prize was awarded to Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow.
Past adjudicators have included Samira Ahmed, Louisa Young, Alex Wheatle, Andrew Miller, Louise Doughty, AL Kennedy, Vikram Seth, Philip Hensher, Joanne Harris, Deborah Moggach and, going back further, Kingsley Amis and Compton Mackenzie.
About the Authors’ Club
Established by Walter Besant in 1891, the Club has provided a social meeting place for writers for 134 years.
Contact: lucyjpop@gmail.com