Sprigs

2022 Longlist

It is Saturday afternoon and two boys schools are locked in battle for college rugby supremacy. Priya – a fifteen year old who barely belongs – watches from the sidelines. Then it is Saturday night and the team is partying, Priya’s friends have evaporated and she isn’t sure what to do.

In the weeks after ‘the incident’ life seems to go on. But when whispers turn to confrontation, the institutions of wealth and privilege circle the wagons.

About the Author/Translator

Brannavan Gnanalingam’s most recent novel is Sprigs. His previous novel Sodden Downstream (Lawrence and Gibson; 2017) was short-listed for the Acorn Foundation prize for best fiction of the year. He is also the author of a Briefcase, Two Pies and a Penthouse and three other books published by Lawrence and Gibson. Brannavan Gnanalingam is a novelist, freelance writer and lawyer based in Wellington.

Librarian’s Comments

Sprigs is a powerful and challenging story. Priya is a fifteen-year-old who goes to a party with rugby players and other kids, and is attacked in an ‘incident’. We hear words from different people, and power and privilege combine to protect the guilty. When we hear from Priya herself – her voice is so compelling it cuts through and leaves the reader devastated. Christchurch City Libraries, New Zealand