I recently finished reading the shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, which will be announced on June 12. Here’s my ranking:

Fundamentally, Nussaibah Younis: The subject matter here is so serious and kind of heavy, and yet the whole thing is so funny. Some of the characters seem like the should be caricatures but somehow are not. This was great.

The Safekeep, Yael van der Wouden: This is one of those books that I was glad I read but not sure I enjoyed. A lot of the themes are only dealt with obliquely because of the main character’s temperament and it left me wanting a little more.

All Fours, Miranda July: The protagonist here is so messy and unhinged, and I really thought I wasn’t going to make it through this. But about halfway through things started to shift and it held my attention a bit more. There are a lot of themes explored here but this is definitely not a book for everyone.

The Persians, Sanam Mahloudji: This is very well-written but swings back and forth from being very plotty to being mostly a character study, and I think that unevenness is working against it a bit. It’s also told from five POVs, which worked pretty well except there’s one that I think eithe rneed to be expanded or omitted.

Good Girl, Aria Aber: The prose is beautiful (Aber is a poet) but this is mostly vibes and the the protagonist seems bewildered by her own life. I always find that kind of character hard to read.

Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout: I did not like this one. It’s a book about relationships and is the 5th in a series, so I think this is more for folks who’ve read the previous books. The audiobook which was narrated at very slow pace and the emphasis makes it seem like the narrator is constantly incredulous about whatever they’re describing.