A palliative care nurse, poet, university lecturer, and 2017 Stella Prize shortlistee among 2017 Miles Franklin longlisted authors

The 2017 Miles Franklin Literary Award longlist has just been announced, with a palliative care nurse, poet, university lecturer, and 2017 Stella Prize shortlistee all making the list.

The Miles Franklin Literary Award was established in 1957 through the will of writer Stella Miles Franklin. Her will stipulates that ‘[the] prize shall be awarded for the Novel for the year which is of the highest literary merit and which must present Australian Life in any of its phases …’

The winner of the 2017 Miles Franklin Literary Award will receive $60,000 in prize money.

The shortlist will be revealed on 18 June, 2017. The winner will be announced in September 2017.

2017 Miles Franklin Longlist

The Easy Way Out
by Steven Amsterdam

Review by Caroline Baum: This book is intelligent, relevant and immensely thought-provoking, tackling the controversial topic of assisted dying head-on. If you want to read a serious novel that will make you question your position on the subject while being immensely engaging and entertaining, look no further. It’s got the topical bite that you’d expect from Lionel Shriver: like her, Amsterdam brings a lethally cool, rational, methodical attack to a taboo most would prefer not to tackle. In this case, the author is a palliative care nurse, so he really knows what he’s talking about.

His central character Evan is mysterious and intriguing: he grew up on a commune with his mum Viv, a gambler who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and is determined to maintain her independence. By day Evan is… Read the full review and listen to a podcast with Steven Amsterdam.

An Isolated Incident
by Emily Maguire

When 25-year-old Bella Michaels is brutally murdered in the small town of Strathdee, the community is stunned and a media storm descends.

Unwillingly thrust into the eye of that storm is Bella’s beloved older sister, Chris, a barmaid at the local pub, whose apparent easygoing nature conceals hard-won wisdom and the kind of street-smarts only experience can bring.

As Chris is plunged into despair and searches for answers, reasons, explanation – anything – that could make even the smallest sense of Bella’s death, her ex-husband, friends and neighbours do their best to support her. But as the days tick by with no arrest, Chris’s suspicion… Learn more.

NEWS: Emily Maguire was recently shortlisted for the 2017 Stella Prize.

A Loving, Faithful Animal by Josephine Rowe, The Last Days of Ava Langdon by Mark O’Flynn, Their Brilliant Careers by Ryan O’Neill.

Where The Trees Were
by Inga Simpson

‘All in?’ Kieran pulled me up, and the others followed. We gathered around the bigger tree. No one asked Matty – he just reached up and put his right hand on the trunk with ours.

Kieran cleared his throat. ‘We swear, on these trees, to always be friends. To protect each other – and this place.’

Finding those carved trees forged a bond between Jay and her four childhood friends and opened their eyes to a wider world. But their attempt to protect the grove ends in disaster, and that one day on the river changes their lives forever… Learn more.

PODCAST: Listen to Inga Simpson chat about Where the Trees Were

Waiting by Philip Salom, Hold by Kirsten Tranter, Extinctions by Josephine Wilson.

Browse the 2017 Miles Franklin longlist

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About the Contributor

Anastasia Hadjidemetri

Anastasia Hadjidemetri is the former editor of The Booktopian and star of Booktopia's weekly YouTube show, Booked with Anastasia. A big reader and lover of books, Anastasia relishes the opportunity to bring you all the latest news from the world of books.