The Stella Prize 2020 winner is announced tonight (tune in for the live announcement here).
A reminder of the contenders –
- See What You Made Me Do by Jess Hill (nonfiction)
- Diving Into Glass by Caro Llewellyn (memoir)
- There Was Still Love by Favel Parrett (novel)
- Here Until August by Josephine Rowe (short stories)
- The Yield by Tara June Winch (novel)
- The Weekend by Charlotte Wood (novel)
My prediction is based on a combination of logic (because that’s clearly important when it comes to literary prizes!) and my heart’s desire.
I’m ruling out Diving Into Glass on the basis that they won’t pick a memoir two years in a row (note that I haven’t read this book, despite memoir being a favourite genre. I started it, I wasn’t immediately drawn in, I returned it to the library…and then COVID-19).
I’m ruling out The Weekend (even though I loved it) – I reckon they’ll share the love and Wood has won before.
See What You Made Me Do is an important book, it’s topical, and everyone should read it but for all those reasons, I think it’s a stretch to win (note that I’m only halfway through this book – again, COVID-19 derailed me, and I had to switch to something lighter).
So that leaves me with The Yield, Here Until August, and There Was Still Love. All are worthy winners. I loved the layers in The Yield. I loved the consistency across the collection in Here Until August. I loved the warmth of There Was Still Love.
When Kim reviewed There Was Still Love recently, she said it was a ‘balm for the soul’. Yes, it is. And I think we all need that right now. Fingers crossed for Favel, that’s my winner.