Today we are excited to announce the shortlist for our seventh annual Glass Bell Award, which shines a spotlight on both literary and book club fiction from settings such as 1640s Norfolk, and a spellbinding Trinidad, to Georgian London with a Greek thread running through its veins.
Debut novels show a strong presence on the list, including When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, winner of the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature; The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews, a Sunday Times top ten bestseller; Metronome by Tom Watson, a pick for BBC2’s Between the Covers; and Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman, the instant no.1 Sunday Times bestseller.
Rounding off the longlist, is ‘Amazon’s Best Book of 2022’ and global bestseller Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin; and the Edgar Award-winning Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka.
David Headley, Goldsboro Books co-founder and MD, and founder of the Glass Bell Award says:“The Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Awards’ ethos, from its inception in 2017, is that it is a compelling novel. The books must possess that innate ability to draw the reader in to its pages, so that time stands still and you’re likely to miss your stop on the train. These shortlisted books all achieve that in spades and my team and I are delighted with the results. I’m expecting a few lively discussions around the judging table and can’t wait to see who will be crowned the winner come autumn.”
The Glass Bell Award is judged by David and all of us here at Goldsboro Books. It is the only prize that rewards storytelling in all genres – from romance, thrillers and ghost stories, to historical, speculative and literary fiction – and is awarded annually to ‘a compelling novel with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised’. The winner – who will receive £2,000 and a beautiful, handmade glass bell – will be announced on Thursday 28th September 2023 at a drinks reception held at our London store in Covent Garden.
