The shortlist will be announced on April 19 and the winner
will be revealed on May 26.
When Arifa Akbar’s sister fell seriously ill, she assumed
the family would be back home after a brief spell at the hospital. But that was
not to be. Only a day before Akbar’s sister dies, the family discovers that
their beloved daughter is suffering from tuberculosis. Years later, the author
travels around the world to track the journey of tuberculosis, from Keats’s
deathbed and the tubercular women of the opera to the resurgence of the disease
in today’s Britain. Consumed is a story of sisterhood, grief,
and the strange mythologies that surround tuberculosis.
Somebody Loves You, Mona Arshi
Mona Arshi’s debut novel is a coming-of-age story of a
British-Indian schoolgirl, Ruby. Sickly from early childhood, Ruby is grappling
with her mother’s mental illness, her reticent father, and the array of
relatives who swoop in to play guardians. One day Ruby simply ceases to talk,
and remains silent for years to come. She becomes someone people confide in,
allowing her to imagine life as she wants it to be. Ruby finds an ally in her
sister Rania, who unlike her, talks a mile a minute. Somebody Loves You explores
trauma in its many forms – from grief to racism to sexual assault and casual
misogyny.
Gay Bar: Why We Went Out, Jeremy Atherton Lin
Gay Bar is a sparkling history of the gay bars of London, San Francisco, and Los Angeles following the post-AIDs crisis years of the 1990s to the present day. From the Black Cat riots of Los Angeles to Gay Liberation Front touch-ins, gay bars have also been witnesses to some of the most important moments in queer history. This is also the story of the author’s own experiences as a gay man. Gay Bar is a celebration of this important institution and a homage to every individual who made gay bars what they are.