Banwo, Zevin and Kukafka shortlisted for Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award

Books by authors including Gabrielle Zevin, Danya Kukafka and Ayanna Lloyd Banwo have been shortlisted for Goldsboro Books’ Glass Bell Award.

Founded in 2017 by David Headley, the co-founder and m.d. of Goldsboro Books, the Glass Bell is awarded annually to a novel of any genre with “brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised”.

Debut novels shortlisted are When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo (Hamish Hamilton), winner of the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature; The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews (Raven Books); Metronome by Tom Watson (Bloomsbury), a pick for BBC2’s “Between the Covers”; and Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman (Harvill Secker).

Rounding off the shortlist are Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Chatto & Windus) and the Edgar Award-winning Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (Phoenix).

Headley said: “The Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Awards’ ethos, from its inception in 2017, is that it is a compelling novel. The books must possess that innate ability to draw the reader in to its pages, so that time stands still and you’re likely to miss your stop on the train. These shortlisted books all achieve that in spades and my team and I are delighted with the results. I’m expecting a few lively discussions around the judging table and can’t wait to see who will be crowned the winner come autumn.”

The Glass Bell Award is judged by Headley and his team at Goldsboro Books. The winner – who will receive £2,000 and a handmade glass bell – will be announced on Thursday 28th September 2023 at a drinks reception held at Goldsboro’s London store in Covent Garden.

Last year, Elodie Harper took home the award for The Wolf Den (Apollo), the first in her Wolf Den Trilogy. The book was hailed by the judges as “rich and immersive”.