NZ Booklovers Awards 2024 Shortlist
NZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Fiction Book 2024
Sponsored by Lighthouse PR
Chasing the Dragon by Mark Wightman (Hoebeck Books)
Checkerboard Hill by Jade Kake (Huia Publishers)
Double Jeopardy by Stef Harris (Quentin Wilson Publishing)
El Flamingo by Nick Davies (YBK Publishers New York)
Light Keeping by Adrienne Jansen (Quentin Wilson Publishing)
Ritual of Fire by DV Bishop (Macmillan Publishers)
The Waters by Carl Nixon (Penguin Random House)
Where Light Meets Water by Susan Paterson (Simon & Schuster)
Judges’ comments:
ADULT FICTION
Checkerboard Hill by Jade Kake: ‘In this sombre, haunting debut, Jade Kake seems to have tapped into some urgent, boundless, can’t-look-away wellspring, and Checkerboard Hill at times moves like a fast-flowing river, carrying the reader along towards an uncertain destination. It’s a fascinating, intimate encounter with a woman with a bifurcated life, who is forced to examine the gulf between how she was raised and who she wants to be. Identity and culture, mystery, a fractured, fractious whānau where there is love and good memories but so much left unspoken – Kake juggles a lot, and she does so with extraordinary deftness.’
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The winner in each category will be announced on 28 March 2024, and each winner will receive $500 from NZ Booklovers.
The Best Adult Fiction Book Award is judged by author, reviewer and judge of the Ngaio Marsh Awards Stephanie Jones, reviewer and literary editor Marcus Hobson, and NZ Booklovers Director and author Karen McMillan.
About NZ Booklovers
NZbooklovers.co.nz is an online home for people who are passionate about books. Working alongside publishers, NZ Booklovers showcases both New Zealand and international titles. It provides reviews, author interviews, book news and competitions.
Director Karen McMillan heads up a talented team of contributors and reviewers, fellow readers and writers who are passionate about books and believe literature inspires and enhances people’s lives. The NZ Booklovers Awards are the brainchild of Karen McMillan to support the local publishing community and New Zealand authors.
