Announcing the 2020 Stella Prize shortlist!

The 2020 Stella Prize shortlist has been revealed, featuring acclaimed books by Jess Hill, Charlotte Wood and more.

The announcement comes just days before International Women’s Day, emphasising the Stella Prize’s commitment to championing the work of women writers within Australia.

Louise Swinn, Chair of the 2020 Judging Panel, says:

“Writers across the gamut of their career appear on the 2020 Stella Prize shortlist, which includes authors who are household names alongside some we are just getting acquainted with. The six books on this year’s shortlist are all outward-looking, and they tell stories – of illness, family life, friendship, domestic abuse, and more – in remarkable ways. If language is a tool, or a weapon, then these writers use their skills with tremendous courage. We found a lot to be hopeful about here, too – not just at the stories being told, but at the quality of the art being produced.”

Each of the authors on the 2020 Stella Prize shortlist will receive $2,000, in addition to the $1,000 they received for their longlist nomination.

The winner will be revealed on the evening of the 8th of April – scroll down to see the 2020 Stella Prize shortlist, along with the comments from the judges!

See What You Made Me Do by Jess Hill (Black Inc.)

Judges’ comments: “Jess Hill’s four-year investigation of the parlous numbers of domestic abuse in Australia is ground-breaking. She has ignited a nationwide debate on the causes and solutions to a devastating problem, garnering significant media attention.

See What You Made Me Do looks at the issue from multiple perspectives, including those of the largely male perpetrators and asks the government to rethink and reframe the measures which have so far failed Australian women. It is a sensitive read, which — whilst confronting — is compelling and hopeful.”

Buy it here

Diving Into Glass by Caro Llewellyn (Penguin Random House)

Judges’ comments: “Diving into Glass is a deeply moving journey across family, love, art, literature and loss. Lit throughout with brilliant prose, this book reveals a family on the brink. Set against the backdrop of mental illness and childhood trauma, it is also the journey of the hard-fought victories that signalled changes in legislation surrounding the conditions of people with disabilities.

Llewellyn shows she has total control of the prose as she eloquently reveals the life she watched her father live — paralysed and in a wheelchair for most of his adult life as a result of polio — is something she herself may face after a diagnosis of MS.

The author takes us into the dark places of mental illness as well as the beauty of her mother’s, Kate Llewellyn, poetry. Diving into Glass is a brilliantly constructed story that is at once gripping and tender — shot through with love and empathy for the author’s family.”

Buy it here

There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett (Hachette Australia)

Judges’ comments: “There Was Still Love is a confident, sparkling novel that brings to life the story of a family regrouping after the impacts of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia with warmth and resonance. Parrett is a highly accomplished novelist, and the techniques she employs in this novel prove that she is capable of pushing boundaries when it comes to narrative style.

There Was Still Love moves between two points in time and delves between generations of one family to explore what it means to find home, and how the concept of belonging is shaped by conflict, politics and instability in the lives of a migrant.

Parrett’s ability to hone in on detail to provide depth to her characters is masterful. This is a book that stays with the reader long after the last page is turned.”

Buy it here

Here Until August by Josephine Rowe (Black Inc.)

Judges’ comments: “Reading Josephine Rowe’s work is an utter joy. Here Until August is an incredible collection that showcases the true talent of Rowe as a writer of characters that are as engaging as they are unique. Each story is carefully constructed, with every word chosen for a purpose — this thought and attention to detail makes the writing shine and shows a strong sense of technique and nuance.

The stories in this collection look at all of the core aspects of human life — grief, love, sex, sadness, joy and loss. They are deeply reflective, with moments of lightness that create an overarching sense of optimism.

Rowe’s stories are full of heart and empathy, and ultimately explore the human condition through relationships. The narratorial voice shifts gently, drawing the reader in and allowing for a reading experience that is both enjoyable and thought-provoking.”

Buy it here

The Yield by Tara June Winch (Penguin Random House)

Judges’ comments: “The innovative conceit of this work of fiction is Winch’s use of the language of the Wiradjuri people, to both tell the story and to teach language words. The result is a collection of interweaving stories that are revealed at a slow and gentle pace giving the reader the time needed to drop into the narrative.

Winch teaches us about Language with a capital ‘L’ weaving the present urgency of belonging, land rights, mining and climate change, with the stark reminder of the invasion history of pain and loss. The reader experiences an intricate layering of time through narrative explored in Language. This is Language that drives culture, and energy, and brings people back from the brink. It is Language that heals.

The vital importance of this story, as well as being a fabulous read, is that it reminds us that the way forward, the way to healing and reconnection, both for the land and for people, is through the depth of knowledge held within Indigenous languages.”

Buy it here

The Weekend by Charlotte Wood (Allen & Unwin)

Judges’ comments: “The Weekend is domestic realism at its very best. Four women in the third act of their lives — post-kids or what-have-you, post-marriage, post-menopause and all its trimmings — and they aren’t going to change now. They know each other — they really know each other. But after Sylvie’s death, when the other three gather for a few days, the balance isn’t quite right anymore. Plenty of wine is imbibed, an elderly dog makes a mess, and lies are exposed.

This is a funny and honest, thoughtful and real book and there isn’t a hint of pity in the unveiling of the story. Wood wants her readers to see the characters completely, even while they attempt to keep things from each other. The language is rich and clear, and the characters always remain distinct. Perhaps they no longer like each other but they do love and rely on one another, and it’s that dichotomy that drives the tension and drama that builds with the subtlety and sure hand of a master storyteller.”

Buy it here

Find out more about The Stella Prize here

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Olivia Fricot

Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.

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