A book exploring the tragedy of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011 is among the eight-strong shortlist for this year’s Rathbones Folio Prize.
Richard Lloyd Parry’s non-fiction work, Ghosts Of The Tsunami, is labelled the definitive book on the quake which killed more than 15,000 people and led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Also nominated are Mohsin Hamid’s novel Exit West, a story of love and hope set against the refugee crisis, and Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends, which explores high-risk relationships, youth and love.
Five novels and three works of non-fiction from the UK, Ireland, Pakistan, China and North America were chosen from a list of 80 which the Folio Academy deemed to be the best published in the UK in 2017.
Also on the list are Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, Xiaolu Guo’s account of growing up in China, Once Upon A Time In The East, Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor, The Day That Went Missing by Richard Beard, and White Tears by Hari Kunzru.
Judges Kate Summerscale, Nikesh Shukla and Jim Crace said: ““We were startled and delighted that so many valuable and rewarding books could be published in a single year.
“We read a fantastic array of fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, and all 80 titles nominated by the academy were genuine contenders.
“The eight books we’ve finally chosen are very different from one another, and they’re all wonderful. Overall, the experience has left us optimistic about the current good health and fine spirit of books in the English-writing and English-reading world.”
The shortlisted books are in contention for the overall prize, which will be awarded at a ceremony at the British Library on May 8.
Philip Howell, chief executive of Rathbones, said: “The 2018 shortlist for the Rathbones Folio Prize comprises a splendid array of fiction and non-fiction.
“Its quality underscores our aim to bring a diverse range of outstanding writing to readers’ attention, and is one part of a broader ambition to engage people in the unique power of books to enrich lives.
“Our congratulations go to the eight shortlisted authors and we look forward to the announcement of a winner on 8 May.”