Yael van der Wouden is een van de 6 kanshebbers op de Women’s Prize for Fiction 2025. Dat is gisteren bekendgemaakt. Op 12 juni bekend wie er met de prijs van 30.000 Britse ponden vandoor gaat. Van der Wouden stond eerder op de shortlist van de Booker Prize. In Nederland verscheen het boek onder de titel De bewaring.

In een algemeen statement zegt de jury:

Each of the shortlisted six books explore the need for personal freedom and human connection, illustrating the ways in which autonomy, love, and friendship can act as a salve to life’s challenges. Written with nuance and depth, they offer compelling multi-layered stories that urge you to sit up and take notice of the world around you.

In this landmark year, the shortlist features multi-generational perspectives and a strong showing of fresh new voices. Thematically, the 30th Women’s Prize for Fiction shortlist also spotlights novels which question history’s grip on our lives, alongside stories which navigate our prevailing search for identity. A number of the novels employ humour – from biting satire to nuanced observational comedy – to explore difficult issues surrounding cultural heritage. Queer relationships and emotional or sexual reawakenings through life are also a prominent theme.

* Good Girl – Aria Aber
* All Fours – Miranda July
* The Persians – Sanam Mahloudji
* Tell Me Everything – Elizabeth Strout
* The Safekeep – Yael van der Wouden
* Fundamentally – Nussaibah Younis

De jury bestaat uit Kit de Waal (voorzitter), Diana Evans, Bryony Gordon, Deborah Joseph en Amelia Warner.