Costa book award 2016 shortlists dominated by female writers

Rose Tremain, Maggie O’Farrell and Sarah Perry lead contenders for the £30,000 top prize

Women dominate this year’s Costa book award shortlists, with Rose Tremain, Sarah Perry and Kate Tempest among 14 female writers of the 20 nominated across the awards’ five categories.

Three previous Costa winners are in the running for the best novel award: Maggie O’Farrell for This Must Be the Place, Rose Tremain for The Gustav Sonata and Sebastian Barry for Days Without End. Barry, who won the overall Costa book of the year in 2008 for his novel The Secret Scripture, told the Guardian he was excited to be nominated again. “It knocks your socks off every time, even in your 60s,” he said, describing how he celebrated after getting the call while at a restaurant with his wife. “Winning the Costa changed my life. I was able to send my kids to university with that prize. To be at the cadet stage again, that is so exciting.”

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