The 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction Longlist

Deidre van Deventer receives a call that changes her life — and everything she thought she knew about her family. Captivating and cunning, this is the story of one woman’s legacy in post-apartheid South Africa.

A fever dream of a coming-of-middle-age novel by the celebrated artist and author, Miranda July. It is a reminder of everything we love about her, starting with the questions she asks about how we live and what we value. This is a reawakening and an examination of domestic liberty that readers will fly through.

Hear more from Miranda on Poured Over.

Obsession, desire and pain are at war in this literary still-life that takes place at an isolated house in the 1960s, where memories still shape and haunt emotional boundaries. Beautifully written with exacting, atmospheric prose, this is a remarkable debut.

The ultimate Elizabeth Strout story: Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge teaching us about ourselves, one page at a time. The best part? We’re heading back to the town of Crosby, Maine.

A stunning coming-of-age novel featuring the daughter of Afghan immigrants set against the backdrop of Berlin’s creative scene.

Meet Aria on Poured Over.

Nesting is a haunting depiction of resilience, motherhood, courage and hope. Roisín O’Donnell tells the story of a woman’s survival against abuse and homelessness in this terrifying and triumphant debut novel.

Gripping, evocative and unforgettable, Fundamentally follows one woman’s mission to rehabilitate ISIS brides in Iraq. With two unenthusiastic colleagues and a refugee she’s determined to save, Dr. Amin fears she might be in over her head.

Intricate, captivating and complex, this is a multigenerational family saga centered on the unforgettable women of the Valiat family from a Pushcart Prize-winning author.

Engrossing, dystopian and dire, acclaimed author Laila Lalami’s latest is a story about authoritarianism, survival and the fight for privacy in a surveillance state. This one is great for fans of The Memory Police and I Who Have Never Known Men.

Meet Laila on the Poured Over.

A beloved and critically-acclaimed author with an ever-growing social media following returns with an unforgettable new story of love and friendship, identity and race.

Escapist and relatable, poignant and funny, this genre-bending novel is firing on all storytelling cylinders, and is a terrific pleasure to read.

A remarkable debut detailing one suffocating summer in 1920s France. Lucy Seeds tells the story of a journalist uncovering the mysteries of an artist’s life and getting to know his enigmatic niece.