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The 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist is here
Find out which female-penned novels are in contention for the top prize this year
The six novels on the Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist have finally been revealed. The books include a pacy coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the techno scene in Berlin; a wild autofictional escapade; a gripping and astutely observed family saga; a touching account of new friendships; a tightly wound domestic thriller; and a wryly funny novel about ISIS (yes, really).
The female-penned books have been carefully selected by this year's panel of judges: the journalists Bryony Gordon and Deborah Joseph, the composer Amelia Warner and the award-winning author Diana Evans. Of the announcement, chair of judges, the writer Kit de Waal said; "Over the past six months, my fellow judges and I have been knee-deep in reading our submissions, consumed by the fully realised worlds created by an incredible range of voices. Now that we arrive at the announcement of our shortlist, what seems absolutely apparent to me is how perfectly each of these six novels exemplify the original tenets of the Prize: originality, accessibility and sheer brilliance."
Shop the six final books, here:
Aria Aber, Good Girl
This compelling debut novel is as engrossing as it is brilliantly rendered. It tells the tale of a young woman trying to carve out her identity in the techno scene of Berlin while falling in love and hiding a fundamental secret about her identity.
Elizabeth Strout, Tell Me Everything
The Pultizer-Prize winning Strout has once again crafted a beloved masterwork of thoughtful storytelling. Tell me Everything is a sharply observed portrait of new friendships, profound revelations and, yes, a murder investigation.
Nussaibah Younis, Fundamentally
Can you make a comic novel about ISIS? Nussaibah Younis proves that you absolutely can. Her witty novel is about a UN worker and a former ISIS bride she has been tasked with rehabilitating, who form an unlikely and life-changing friendship.
Sanam Mahloudji, The Persians
A sumptuous family saga set between 1940 and 2000, The Persians follows the wonderfully realised Valiat family before and after the Iranian revolution, both in and beyond Tehran. It is unputdownable and replete with brilliant observations – an undoubtedly assured debut novel.
Miranda July, All Fours
The second novel from Miranda July is just as absurd and original as her first. A blend of madcap autofiction and compelling narrative, All Fours tells the tale of a woman whose bold life reinvention doesn't quite go to plan.
Yael van der Wouden, The Safekeep
A woman's perfectly ordered world is threatened by the arrival of her brother's rude and careless girlfriend, who must remain with her as a house guest for the summer. Unexpected tensions rise high in this clever and tightly constructed novel that was also shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize.
