An award for books without violence against women

There are no constraints regarding the genre of the thriller. It can be a mystery, spy, historical, psychological, even political and satirical.

When was the last time you read a thriller whose plot did not revolve around violence around women? Most of the times, abuse of women either form the main plot or hangs in there as a sub-plot to a thriller. However. a recent literary prize has decided to change it, and in a bid to do that, has decided to honour only those books which provide an alternative narrative to this.

“Well-written, exciting thrillers that offer an alternative narrative to stories based around violence to women. That doesn’t mean we’re just looking for thrillers that feature men in jeopardy instead, but stories in which female characters don’t have to be raped before they can be empowered, or become casual collateral to pump up the plot,” their website states, clearing on the prize’s prerequisite.

There are no constraints regarding the genre of the thriller. It can be a mystery, spy, historical, psychological, even political and satirical. However, “stories that feature a woman in a strong leading role are even more welcome. But as long as the main criteria are followed, any thriller novel is eligible for entry”.

Last year, the shortlist included books like The Appraisal by Anna Porter, East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman, Cops & Queens by Joyce Thompson, The Kennedy Moment by Peter Adamson, If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin, On The Java Ridge by Jock Serong.

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