Barnes & Noble announced the six finalists for its Discover Prize, given annually for an outstanding debut novel.
Caro Claire Burke made the shortlist with Yesteryear, her bestselling novel about a tradwife influencer who finds herself transported to 1855. Woody Brown was named a finalist for Upward Bound, which follows a group of people at a day care facility for disabled adults.
Madeline Cash was shortlisted for Lost Lambs, a comic novel about a troubled family living in a harbor town, while Vincent Yu was named a finalist for Seek Immediate Shelter, about the aftermath of a false-alarm alert that roils a small town in Massachusetts.
Patricia Finn made the shortlist for The Golden Boy, which follows a retired television executive whose life is thrown into disarray after he learns that he has been named guardian of the four grandchildren of a childhood friend. Natalie Adler was named a finalist for Waiting on a Friend, about a young lesbian in 1980s New York who is visited by the ghosts of friends who died of AIDS.
Lexie Smyth, Barnes & Noble’s campaign manager for fiction, said in a statement, “It’s such a joy to spend so much time talking in depth about new writers—their prose style, their characters, the worlds they create—and their future potential with other booksellers around the country. Our booksellers have done a terrific job selecting the books on this shortlist, all of which represent original points of view and incredible talent.”
The Discover Prize was first awarded in 1995. Previous winners include Monica Ali for Brick Lane, Anthony Marra for A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, and Essie Chambers for Swift River.
The winner of this year’s prize will be announced on June 25.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
