Indie Book Awards announce 2022 shortlist

The Indie Book Awards have today announced a 24-strong shortlist, celebrating the very best in Australian literature, as chosen by the booksellers who have made a year of lockdowns and isolation a little more bearable for many.

Established back in 2008, the Indie Book Awards recognises the contributions made by Aussie booksellers, and the impact they have on the success of our local authors. Independent bookstores across the country are invited to nominate their favourite reads of the year, and a panel of judges will eventually select the winner in each category. The Book of Year is chosen from the category winners, with bookshops able to vote for their overall top read.

Previous winners include Trent Dalton, Jessica Townsend, Jane Harper, Anh Do, Craig Silvey, and Tim Winton.

Best have the website of your favourite indie book store handy (we’ve got a few suggestions HERE!), because you’re going to want to top up your TBR after seeing this shortlist!

FICTION
Treasure and Dirt by Chris Hammer (Allen & Unwin)
Devotion by Hannah Kent (Picador Australia)
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy (Hamish Hamilton Australia)
The Last Woman in the World by Inga Simpson (Hachette Australia)

NON-FICTION
Love Stories by Trent Dalton (Fourth Estate Australia)
Who Gets to Be Smart by Bri Lee (Allen & Unwin)
Toxic: The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry by Richard Flanagan (Penguin Australia)
Larrimah by Caroline Graham and Kylie Stevenson (Allen & Unwin)

DEBUT FICTION
When Things Are Alive They Hum by Hannah Bent (Ultimo Press)
We Were Not Men by Campbell Mattinson (HarperCollins Australia)
Love & Virtue by Diana Reid (Ultimo Press)
The Silent Listener by Lyn Yeowart (Viking Australia)

ILLUSTRATED NON-FICTION
Where the River Bends by Jane and Jimmy Barnes (HarperCollins Australia)
Still Life by Amber Creswell Bell (Thames & Hudson Australia)
Garden Like a Nonno by Jaclyn Crupi (Affirm Press)
Costa’s World by Costa Georgiadis (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)

CHILDREN’S
Dragon Skin by Karen Foxlee (Allen & Unwin Children’s)
Somebody’s Land: Welcome to Our Country by Adam Goodes & Ellie Laing, illustrated by David Hardy (Allen & Unwin Children’s)
Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by Katrina Nannestad (ABC Books, HarperCollins Australia)
Wandi by Favel Parrett (Lothian Children’s Books)

YOUNG ADULT
The Monster of Her Age by Danielle Binks (Lothian Children’s Books)
The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough (Allen & Unwin Children’s)
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni (Penguin Australia)
If Not Us by Mark Smith (Text Publishing)

The 2022 winners will be announced at a virtual event on Monday 21st March.
For more information on the awards, check out the Indie Book Awards website HERE.

Jodie Sloan

Living, writing, and reading in Brisbane/Meanjin. Likes spooky books, strong cocktails, and pro-wrestling.