ABOUT
THE BOOK

2021 Shortlist

Dramatised reading of Girl, Woman, Other  by Bernardine Evaristo, performed by Hallie Ridgeway. Produced by Bazar Productions.

Comments from the Judges

A magnificent book fuelled by its own unique energy – one which catapults the novel form into an original, exhilarating direction. Twelve women’s lives are vigorously revealed, each character given an individual chapter of their own. And yet within these chapters Evaristo skilfully weaves all of their worlds together. The result: an astonishing tapestry of women’s lives – flaws and all – and of the wide-ranging and spirited experiences that have made them who they are. A bravura feat of storytelling by a writer at the top of her game, which vividly celebrates the voices of intergenerational black British women in contemporary times

About the Novel

This is Britain as you’ve never read it .This is Britain as it has never been told. From Newcastle to Cornwall, from the birth of the twentieth century to the teens of the twenty-first, Girl, Woman, Other follows a cast of twelve characters on their personal journeys through this country and the last hundred years. They’re each looking for something – a shared past, an unexpected future, a place to call home, somewhere to fit in, a lover, a missed mother, a lost father, even just a touch of hope . . .

About the Author

Bernardine Evaristo, MBE, is the award-winning author of eight books of fiction and verse fiction that explore aspects of the African diaspora. Her novel Girl, Woman, Other made her the first black woman to win the Booker Prize in 2019, as well winning the Fiction Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards in 2020, where she also won Author of the Year, and the Indie Book Award. She also became the first woman of colour and black British writer to reach No.1 in the UK paperback fiction chart in 2020. Her writing spans reviews, essays, drama and radio, and she has edited and guest-edited national publications, including The Sunday Time’s Style magazine. Her other awards and honours include an MBE in 2009. Bernardine is Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University, London, and Vice Chair of the Royal Society of Literature. She lives in London with her husband.

Librarian’s Comments

Evaristo gives the reader insight into the lives of twelve different characters in Britain. They have in common that most of them are black and identify as women. Beside these intersections, they vary in age, interests and sociocultural backgrounds. Each chapter is dedicated to one character; however the stories are interconnected in the greater scope of the book. The protagonists are portrayed in a rich and genuine way, which indeed makes the reader curious to get to know who is next to come, but also grieve the departure of the former character. The author uses a carefully selected language which moves between prose and poetry. Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin, Germany

A stunning novel, touching on so many lives of black British women and their experiences in twentieth century Britain. Each character has enough life and texture to deserve a full novel of her own but instead they intersect each other’s lives in subtle ways and furthering the novel’s exploration of identity, person-hood and self. At times heart breaking and honest about black womanhood and always insightful, witty and modern. Waterford City and County Libraries, Ireland

For library members in Ireland, this novel is available as an eBook and eAudiobook on BorrowBox.