Overview

• The shortlist features novels by Emma Donoghue, Mona Awad, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Eddy Boudel Tan and Emma Knight.
• Jury chair Dionne Irving, with Loghan Paylor and Deepa Rajagopalan, narrowed more than 100 submissions to five finalists.
• The winner will receive $100,000, to be announced Nov. 17 at a televised ceremony in Toronto hosted by Rick Mercer.
• Jury notes praised Donoghue’s The Paris Express as “as intricately crafted as a station master’s pocket watch” and lauded Thammavongsa’s Pick a Colour for its “inimitable style.”
• Initially named jurors Jordan Abel and Aaron Tucker withdrew, citing ethical concerns tied to past links between the prize’s former sponsor Scotiabank and an investment in Elbit Systems.