I’m absolutely delighted to announce that Swimming Lessons has been shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Encore Award, along with five other titles. The award is presented annually for the best second novel published in the UK and Ireland.

More information on the prize can be found on the RSLiterature website, and on their press release.

This is what the judges said about Swimming Lessons:

‘The powerful emotional undertow running through this tale of marital breakdown and familial survival never wavers as Flora, the youngest daughter of a narcissistic writer, attempts to piece together the truth about her mother’s disappearance via the discovery of a cache of letters distributed among the pages of her parents’ books.’

The winner will be announced on 9th May.

Find out more about Swimming Lessons.

Buy a copy of Swimming Lessons.