The SI Leeds Literary Prize has been running since 2012, and in that time, we’ve seen entries from some incredibly talented writers. Some of those women, both our past winners and shortlisted writers, have gone on to publish novels and non-fiction work.
In this post, we’re highlighting some of the books subsequently published by our winning writers. If you’re looking for something new to read, why not start with one of these?
Reading list
A Little Dust on the Eyes, by Minoli Salgado
Our first ever winning novel tells the story of intersecting lives, memory and loss.
The bustle of an English seaside resort gives way to the unreal calm of a coastal community in southern Sri Lanka as Savi and Renu, two cousins separated by civil war, are reunited just weeks before the tsunami strikes. Renu is struggling to find evidence that will bring political killers to justice; Savi is struggling to heal the damage wrought by a broken childhood. They are just catching up with the secrets of the past when the past catches up with them.
The Things We Thought We Knew, by Mahsuda Snaith
Originally titled The Constellation of Ravine Roy, this mystery explores the story of two young girls who headed out to the woods, but only one came back home.
A decade later, eighteen-year-old Ravine Roy spends all her time in her bedroom, keeping the outside world exactly where she wants it; outside.
But as the real world begins to invade her carefully controlled space, she is forced to finally confront the questions she’s been avoiding. Who is her mother meeting in secret? Who has moved in next door?
And why, all those years ago, when two girls pulled on their raincoats and wellies and headed out into the woods did only one of them return?
The Trouble with Rose, by Amita Murray
Writer Amita Murray won our prize in 2016 for her manuscript Marmite and Mango Chutney. She went on to secure a two-book deal with Harper Collins. Her debut novel, The Trouble with Rose, is a hilarious and uplifting story about love and family.
We meet the Kumars as they plan a wedding. But before she can get married, bride-to-be Rilla must go back – to the days of big family parties, slippery memories, and those times when she knew what happy looked like – to find out what happened to her sister, Rose.
Amita went on to publish two books in the Arya Winters series, and the first novel in her new Marleigh Sisters series will be released in summer 2023.
The Funeral Cryer, by Wenyan Lu
Due for publication in 2023, our 2020 prize winning novel is an unforgettable and deeply moving tale of one woman’s re-awakening in contemporary rural China.
A professional mourner long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job and under-appreciated by her husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of break-up. But just when things couldn’t be bleaker, The Funeral Cryer takes a leap of faith – and in so doing things start to take a surprising turn for the better.
These novels show the range of work our writers have submitted to the SI Leeds Literary Prize, and whether you enjoy romance or drama, mystery or comedy, there are plenty of wonderful stories here that will transport you to the heart of the action.
