The Women’s Prize for Fiction has become one of the biggest literary prizes. Established in 1996 by novelist Kate Mosse, the annual event was founded to celebrate and recognise female writers after decades of underrepresentation at awards like the Booker Prize. Past winners include Margaret Atwood, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Zadie Smith – and the 2026 shortlist has just been announced.
The six novels include debut authors as well as esteemed writers like Lily King and Susan Choi, all competing for a £30,000 prize. “We are delighted to present a shortlist that doesn’t shy away from examining life’s challenges, but also brings many moments of joy,” Julia Gillard, Chair of Judges and former Prime Minister of Australia, said. “As judges, we are first and foremost readers, and these novels intrigued and profoundly moved us. The plot lines kept us turning pages to find out what happens next, the characters found a place in our hearts and the stories stayed with us long after the last sentence.”
It’s no small feat to whittle the 16 books on the longlist down to just half a dozen. This year’s pile tackles everything from familial and romantic intimate relationships, to displaced people and geopolitical history. In 2026, Mona Arshi, author, presenter, poet and speaker; Salma El-Wardany, writer, podcaster, actor and comedian; Cariad Lloyd, author, broadcaster and DJ; and Annie Macmanus, join Gillard on the judging panel.
One book on the shortlist happens to be personal recent favourite that I’ve been recommending to everyone. Virginia Evans’s The Correspondent is a touching story of a 73-year-old woman’s attempt to reckon with her past and reconnect with loved ones through letters. The unique epistolary structure only adds to the emotional heft of the novel.
Elsewhere on the list, Susan Choi’s Flashlight is a historical family drama spanning generations and geographies, while Addie E. Citchens’ Dominion follows the devoted wife of a Baptist minister after their golden child runs into trouble. Lily King’s Heart the Lover is another must-read: a campus love story that revisits the characters decades later, it’s moving, beautiful and thought-provoking.
If you’re looking for new reading material, here’s everything you need to know about The Correspondent – including news of its movie adaptation.
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'The Correspondent' by Virginia Evans, published by Michael Joseph
Virginia Evan’s debut novel The Correspondent is written entirely through letters. The book follows Sybil Van Antwerp, a 73-year-old retired lawyer in Annapolis navigating her dwindling eyesight and gradual ageing. Sybil, who lives alone and only corresponds through letters and emails, is still grappling with her profound grief over her son’s death when he was 10 years old.
As she reconnects with friends, family and acquaintances, you begin to intimately understand her character. Prickly and easily annoyed, she’s a control freak with attachment issues – keeping her nearest and dearest at arm’s length with written correspondence. But, despite her misanthropic tendencies, certain letters reveal her empathy and kindness. Taking place over a decade, secrets are unravelled, new connections are forged and joy is found in small, everyday moments.
A word-of-mouth bestseller, it’s themes of aging, relationships, forgiveness and hope have resonated with readers around the world. It’s a tear-jerker and heavy at times, but above all, The Correspondent is joyously uplifting. Sybil writing letters to her favourite authors – and even getting replies back from Joan Didion and Kazuo Ishiguro – is endearingly earnest and innocent, while her years-long correspondence with an ancestry site employee will have you weeping. Unsurprisingly, the movie rights have been snapped up – and Jane Fonda is set to star in the main role.
Buy now £13.59, Amazon.co.uk
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