Yesterday evening the Society of Authors’ Awards were announced and the prizes handed out at a ceremony in London. As a judge for the McKitterick Prize (for debut authors over age 40), I was asked to give a 50-word blurb on the shortlist as a whole:

There’s a fine line between life and death, and the question of whether love can bridge the two is at the crux of these exceptional novels, which feature vibrant styles, powerful themes, and essential voices. No matter how dark things get, readers are in safe hands with such accomplished authors.

Our winner was Vijay Khurana for The Passenger Seat.

The runner-up was Patrick Ryan for Buckeye.

My official feedback on these two plus a couple of other novels that I particularly enjoyed from the shortlist was as follows:

In The Passenger Seat, two teenage boys undertake a road trip with no destination, their competitive masculine pride soon shading into aggression. This explosive short novel is all the more unsettling for how matter-of-factly Vijay Khurana presents the escalation and aftermath of motiveless violence. Buckle up for a terrifying ride.

Patrick Ryan’s debut explores what happens when long-held secrets and familial patterns complicate two couples’ vision of the American future. Buckeye takes the best aspects of the war novel, the small-town story, and the family drama and blends them into an absorbing saga in which accident and choice swirl unpredictably.

Two sisters attempt to manage cantankerous elderly parents and their rundown home in rural France in Camilla Barnes’s The Usual Desire to Kill. The variety of formats – e-mails, letters, and play scenes – keeps the pages turning. This quirky, bittersweet look at ageing and dependence is a real pleasure to read.

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch is a tender story in which ordinary people work through estrangement and illness to preserve the relationships that matter. It illuminates not only the political and social reality of four decades ago, but the universal challenge of loving those who disappoint and betray us.

Looking back to early on in this prize journey (which started in November) … here was my first shipment and some of my early reading:

Our longlist:

And a reminder of our shortlist:

My favourite read from the longlist that didn’t make it to the shortlist was The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr. I was entranced by this story of an Irish family in the 1970s–80s: Ambrose, a fisherman left behind by technology; his wife Christine, walked all over by her belligerent father and sister; their son Declan, a budding foodie; and the title character, Brendan, a foundling they adopt and raise. Narrated by a chorus of village voices, this debut has the heart of Claire Keegan and the humour of Paul Murray. It reimagines biblical narratives, too: the brotherly rivalry of Cain and Abel and Jacob and Esau; Job; and more.

I was sorry not to attend the SoA Awards ceremony in person in London again. From last year, I know that I missed out on a great afternoon tea and a jolly ceremony (as well as the chance to pay homage to Southwark Cathedral’s resident cat, Hodge, from afar!). But I rightly predicted that I would be too tired after my USA trip and that the weather would be too hot to brave London transport. Also, it turned out that yesterday evening was our only chance to meet up with a family member on a rare visit to the UK, so I didn’t even manage to watch the livestream, alas. Next time!

This was my fifth year of involvement with the Prize and it’s been a great experience I hope to continue.