Saraid de Silva's Amma longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025

Amma by Saraid de Silva has been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2025. Amma is one of 16 titles on the longlist, as selected by the judging panel: author Kit de Waal (chair); novelist and journalist Diana Evans; author, journalist and mental-health campaigner, Bryony Gordon; magazine editor Deborah Joseph; and musician and composer Amelia Warner. 

The judges said: ‘The 16 books on the list are genre-spanning, with many exploring the ramifications of global events in the past, present and future. Each one offers an expansive world that pulls the reader in with rich storytelling and deeply resonating themes.’

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is one of the most successful, influential and popular literary prizes in the world, championing and amplifying women’s voices and nurturing a global community of readers. 2025 celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, sponsored by Audible and Baileys.

Kit de Waal said: “It has been an absolute honour to be immersed in so many utterly exhilarating and hugely imaginative books during the reading process. There were many lively debates on the judging panel over the final 16 books and it was a very close-run thing, but the list we have revealed today is overflowing with compelling stories, and writing that demonstrates passion, wit and empathy. […] These are important, far-reaching novels where brilliantly realised characters navigate the complexities of families and modern relationships while pushing the boundaries placed around them.”

The Prize is awarded annually to the author of the best full-length novel of the year written in English and published in the UK. The winner receives £30,000, anonymously endowed, and the ‘Bessie’, a bronze statuette created by the artist Grizel Niven. The shortlist will be announced on 2nd April 2025.

Set in Sri Lanka, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia and London, Amma is a story of the rich history and unknown future of the Sri Lankan diaspora. It navigates the migrant experience across three generations of women in a family desperately trying to find peace.  

Judge Deborah Joseph said: ‘I didn’t want this book to end. It’s a multi-generational story about a Sri Lankan woman, her daughter, and her grand-daughter which spans decades and countries from Sri Lanka to New Zealand. It shows how societal judgements on women have changed over time and there are so many powerful scenes in it that have stayed with me long after I finished the book.’

Amma is de Silva’s debut novel. It was published in New Zealand and Australia by Moa Press, and in the UK by Weatherglass Books. 

Kate Stephenson, Senior Publisher of Moa Press said: “We are delighted and excited for Saraid, and for her UK publisher Weatherglass Books, as well. Amma is a stunning debut – a richly drawn, nuanced and important story, one which has been welcomed and embraced by many readers across New Zealand. It’s amazing to see Saraid’s undeniable talent being recognised internationally with this prestigious longlisting.’