The Costa Book Awards announced the shortlist for the 2017 season. The award, which honors works by authors based in the UK and Ireland, is given in five categories: First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry, and Children’s Book. The shortlist included four writers in each category. This year, Orange prize-winning writer Helen Dunmore‘s poetry collection, Inside the Wave, was named posthumously to the Poetry shortlist.
In the First Novel category, the following authors were shortlisted for their debut works of fiction:
The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times by
Xan Brooks;
Montpelier Parade by
Karl Geary;
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by
Gail Honeyman; and
The Haunting of Henry Twist by
Rebecca F. John.
In the Novel category, the following authors were nominated:
Reservoir 13 by
Jon McGregor (who has been
longlisted for the Man Booker Prize twice);
Under a Pole Star by
Stef Penney (who won the
2006 First Novel category and Costa Book of the Year);
Home Fire by
Kamila Shamsie (featured in
our 2017 Second-Half Book Preview); and
Tin Man by
Sarah Winman.
Winners in each category, as well as the overall Costa Book of the Year, will be announced in January.
Carolyn Quimby
is an associate editor for The Millions. She works in academic publishing by day and is a freelance writer and book reviewer by night. She tweets at @CarolynQuimby.
