VV Ganeshananthan’s Brotherless Night has won Women’s Prize for fiction 2024. Sarted in 1995, the $30,000 worth Women’s prize for fiction, currently in its 29th year, claims to be the most significant global tribute to female creativity.

According to Guardian reviewer Yagnishsing Dawoor, Ganeshananthan’s second novel is a remarkable depiction of a country and a family falling apart. The Asian Prize for Fiction longlisted book, Brotherless Night, is predominantly set in Jaffna during the Sri Lankan civil war. It revolves around a girl’s dream of becoming a doctor, which is shattered when war erupts, leading those around her to embrace extremist political ideologies. Novelist Monica Ali, the chair of the fiction judging panel, hailed Brotherless Night as a “masterpiece of historical fiction.” Ganeshananthan’s novel received high praise from Ali, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Laura Dockrill, Indira Varma, and Anna Whitehouse for its compelling and deeply moving portrayal of the Sri Lankan civil war.

By Ian Severi