Sally Rooney and Donal Ryan shortlisted for Costa Novel Award

Sally Rooney’s second book Normal People and Donal Ryan’s From A Low and Quiet Sea have been shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award, considered the most prestigious award for a novel open only to British and Irish writers.

Rooney, from Mayo, and Tipperary-born Ryan were both longlisted for this year’s Man Booker Prize which was won by Belfast author Anna Burns for Milkman. Rooney was also named International Author of the Year at Britain’s Specsavers National Book Awards and all three Irish authors have been shortlisted for Novel of the Year at next Tuesday’s An Post Irish Book Awards.

The Costa judges described Rooney's novel as "bold, fresh and intensely modern" and Ryan’s as "compassionate, profound and masterfully written".

Director Lenny Abrahamson is understood to be planning to make a TV adaptation of Normal People.

Also on the shortlist is 70-year-old Anne Youngson, from Oxford, for her debut novel, Meet Me At The Museum.

Donal Ryan

The Costa Prize has five categories: Novel, First Novel, Poetry, Children’s Book and Biography. Each category winner receives £5,000 while the overall winner of the 2018 Costa Book of the Year, will receive £30,000.

Previous Irish winners include Sebastian Barry, Jennifer Johnston and William Trevor, who won twice.