Giada Scodellaro has been crowned the winner of the 2024 Novel Prize for her debut novel, “Ruins, Child,” per publishersweekly.com. The prestigious biennial award, open to both published and unpublished writers worldwide, recognises outstanding literary fiction written in English. Scodellaro’s winning work, selected from 1,100 submissions, will be published simultaneously in early 2026 by New Directions (North America), Fitzcarraldo Editions (UK and Ireland), and Giramondo (Australia and New Zealand).
“Ruins, Child” is a kaleidoscopic narrative set in a speculative future, centring on six women sharing a crumbling apartment tower. Described as “pointedly disorienting” and “powered by snatches of vernacular speech,” the novel delves into themes of urban decay, collective resilience, and the inversion of marginalisation. Publishers praised the work as a “surreal musing” that blends social commentary, folklore, and choreography to create an “ethnography of place” and an ode to communal ruins.
Scodellaro expressed her elation, stating, “I am so humbled, so thrilled, so in awe of this outcome. What a dream it is for this work to exist outside of myself.”
The Novel Prize not only awards $10,000 but also provides a global platform for emerging voices in literature.
The Novel Prize, established in 2020, has previously honoured works like Jessica Au’s Cold Enough for Snow and the joint winners of 2022, Anne de Marcken’s It Lasts Forever and Then It’s Over and Jonathan Buckley’s Tell. With “Ruins, Child,” Scodellaro joins this distinguished lineage, promising readers a bold and evocative exploration of Black American reality and collective storytelling.
“Ruins, Child” is set for release in early 2026.
