Oneworld takes two places on Encore Award shortlist

The five-strong shortlist for the £10,000 Encore Award has been revealed, with a nomination for Susanna Clarke and two picks from Oneworld.

Run by the Royal Society of Literature (RSL), the annual award celebrating outstanding second novels is judged by Sian Cain, Nikita Lalwani and Paul Muldoon this year.

The judges picked Piranesi (Bloomsbury), Clarke's much-acclaimed Women's Prize-shortlisted novel about a man living in a watery labyrinth.

Should We Fall Behind by Sharon Duggal (Bluemoose Books) also makes the shortlist. The novel follows Jimmy Noone as he walks from one side of a sprawling city to the other, looking for Betwa, a friend he found and lost on the bustling city streets.

Also making the final five is The Blind Light by Stuart Evers (Picador), which uses the story of two generations of a family to shine a light on the social history of Britain.

The shortlist also features The First Woman by Windham-Campbell prize-winner Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Oneworld). A powerful feminist rendition of Ugandan origin tales, it tells the story of Kirabo, the equivalent of Eve in Ugandan mythology.

The final title is The Wild Laughter by Caoilinn Hughes (Oneworld), which follows an Irish family coming apart after the 2008 economic collapse.

The judges commented: “This year’s shortlist is bursting with books that are to be lauded for their ambition — transporting us to other worlds with a mixture of mischief and panache, protest and compassion. We came away enriched from each novel and with much to discuss —- these are books teeming with ideas and full of memorable characters.”

Previous recipients of the award have included Sally Rooney, Ali Smith, Anne Enright, A L Kennedy, Colm Tóibín, and last year’s winner Patrick McGuiness. This year's winner will be announced on 20th May.