It’s almost old news now, but here is the 2021 Stella Prize shortlist:

• Fathoms: the world in the whale by Rebecca Giggs
• Revenge: Murder in Three Parts by S.L. Lim
• The Animals in That Country by Laura Jean McKay
• Witness by Louise Milligan
• Stone Sky Gold Mountain by Mirandi Riwoe
• The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld

I feel like it’s time for a fiction winner. Stone Sky Gold Mountain was solid and provided an interesting perspective on Gold Rush history. The Bass Rock was spectacular in parts but flat in others. I’ve almost finished Revenge – it’s good but I’m not sure that it’s got all the ingredients of a winner. Which leaves The Animals in That Country, the only one of this bunch that I have no real desire to read (so it’s sure to win!).

For the record (and based on the mere quarter I’ve read), Fathoms is my favourite.