We’re so delighted to announce that Chloe Michelle Howarth’s SUNBURN has been shortlisted for the 2023 Nero Book Award for Debut Fiction!
This is the very first year of the Nero Book Awards, and we’re so excited to see Chloe shortlisted alongside three other impactful debut works from this year: Michael Magee’s Close to Home, Tom Crewe’s The New Life and Stephen Buoro’s The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa. It’s a fantastic end to what has been a fantastic publication year for SUNBURN!
Set in rural Ireland in the early 1990s, SUNBURN is an astute and tender portrayal of first love, adolescent anxiety and the realities of growing up in a small town where tradition holds people tightly in its grasp. When teenage Lucy falls for her friend Susannah, she must decide whether their love is worth sacrificing everything else in her life to keep.
If you haven’t read the novel yet, here’s what other readers have had to say about it:
‘It’s a book that any queer person can relate to in some way or another. It’s poetry and I loved it’ – 5-STAR READER REVIEW
‘Ever since I read this I simply CANNOT stop thinking about it. It sits in the corner whispering to me. It’s been a long time since a book has stayed with me so firmly and for so long. Cannot recommend it enough, my top pick for 2023 and a stunning debut novel’ – 5-STAR READER REVIEW
‘This book actually feels sun soaked and I am obsessed’ – 5-STAR READER REVIEW
‘‘An addictive, honey-dipped queer love story that manages to capture the specific feeling of a long, hot Irish summer, too’ – 5-STAR READER REVIEW
‘With achingly beautiful, almost lyrical, prose this was both sweet and heart-breaking in turns – I couldn’t put it down’ – 5-STAR READER REVIEW
‘The most beautiful sapphic coming-of-age novel I’ve ever read’ – 5-STAR READER REVIEW
‘Incredible book, beautifully written… It’s messy, sad, and toxic, but also exuberant, lovely, and endless. Much like real life can be. This will definitely be read many times over’ – 5-STAR READER REVIEW
We’re all so proud of Chloe for getting the recognition she deserves for this phenomenal debut and we can’t wait to see what happens next! The category winners are announced on 16th January 2024, and the book of the year is then announced in February, so keep your eyes peeled…
Until then, if you want to support the book, it’s available to buy from Waterstones, Bookshop.org, or wherever you get your books. An e-book edition is also available.