Sally Rooney’s Normal People and Anna Burns’ novel Milkman are in the running for this year’s Women’s Prize For Fiction.

The prize features 16 novels on its longlist, including seven debut novels.

Milkman, an experimental tale of sexual coercion, won last year’s Booker Prize.

And coming-of-age tale Normal People scooped the Costa Novel award, making Rooney its youngest winner at 27.

Sally Rooney
Irish author Sally Rooney (Costa Book Awards)

Debut novels on the Women’s Prize For Fiction longlist include satire The Pisces by Melissa Broder and My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite.

Judges said the longlisted novels are “brilliant stories that sweep you into another world”.

The Women’s Prize For Fiction is awarded for the best full-length novel of the year, written by a woman and published in the UK by any woman writing in English whatever her nationality or country of residence.

The shortlist is announced on April 29 and the winner on June 5.

Women’s Prize For Fiction longlist
The Silence Of The Girls by Pat Barker

Remembered by Yvonne Battle-Felton

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

The Pisces by Melissa Broder

Milkman by Anna Burns

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

Ordinary People by Diana Evans

Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li

Bottled Goods by Sophie van Llewyn

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

Praise Songs For The Butterflies by Bernice L McFadden

Circe by Madeline Miller

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

Normal People by Sally Rooney