Chain Gang All Stars: A Novel

"Speaking for myself, it’s the footnotes which makes the novel – and I know the judges discussed these. The set-up is that criminals are made to fight each other, with the possibility that the eventual winner will be freed. In the notes, Adjei-Benyah gives more details about some of the minor characters, but more importantly discusses and provides statistics about the racism of the American ‘justice’ system and miscarriages of justice. It works as a gripping thriller, but it educates us or reminds us of the inequalities in society; it’s at times harrowing. It’s a reminder that Black Lives Matter."