We are delighted to be announcing the two winners of the Owned Voices Novel Award 2022. The judging panel wishes to commend all shortlisted authors on the strength of their submissions, particularly given the fiercely competitive entries this year.
Amber Boothe
Novel Title: The Faces of Barracane
Having recently completed a Master in Laws (specialising in Cybercrime), Amber decided to combine her legal interests with her passion for storytelling.
The inspiration for her first novel grew from her love for crime, thriller and horror stories. From The Murder of Roger Ackroyd to The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Amber can’t put a good book down when there’s a mystery afoot.
Author’s pitch: The Faces of Barracane is a standalone crime thriller with series potential. It’s for readers who enjoy the haunting suspense of Alex North’s The Whisper Man and the melancholy noir of Walter Mosely’s Easy Rawlins novels.
Twenty years ago, a little girl watched a monster drag her father into the sea. Margaux Wick, a quick-witted, self-destructive private detective from Guadeloupe, is tasked with deciphering the murder and journeys to the east coast of England. But as the mystery unravels, so does her grip on reality as the ugly secrets lurking in a seaside village prove themselves to be feral and very much alive.
Amber said, “I'm absolutely ecstatic to be one of the winners of the Owned Voices Novel Award 2022! Having the judges select my work out of a shortlist of fantastic manuscripts is a huge honour.”
Why this submission is a winner: Amber has a masterful and compelling writing style that demonstrates her clear love for crime thrillers. She writes like the most seasoned of crime writers with a real page-turning quality. We just couldn’t get enough. Simply addictive.
Letitia Jarrett
Novel Title: Callaloo Brunch
Letitia Jarrett is a British-Caribbean writer whose short story Hard Dough featured in Bad Form Review’s 2021 Caribbean Issue. She is also a features editor and columnist for alternative fashion magazine, Big Pink Pages. Aside from her Jamaican food-infused, pastel-hued writing pursuits, she teaches English, and enjoys theatre and 35mm analogue photography.
Author’s pitch: Callaloo Brunch is an unapologetically British-Caribbean Book Club novel that encourages people to illuminate, cherish and heal their fractured parts. Music student Caryssa discovers her dad has died via text, but she can handle that. Her problem is returning to 'Ends' after three years of faking affluence at an elite university. Back home, without Caryssa’s father as figurehead, her street faces destruction from property moguls connected to her university clique. If Caryssa negotiates with the developers, she’ll betray her father and neighbourhood. However, as escalating tensions unravel family secrets, demolishing the street won't just grant her the glitzy life she craves—toppling the buildings might turn her trauma to dust, too.
Callaloo Brunch swirls Hope and Glory together with The Vanishing Half’s vibrant prose, and the champagne-soaked deception that made Netflix’s Inventing Anna irresistible.
Letitia said, “It feels incredible to be one of this year’s Owned Voices Novel Award winners. Writing stories brings life to the characters that sing through my heart, so I’m beyond grateful to everyone involved believing in my novel. Thank you for championing underrepresented authors!”
Why this novel is a winner: Letitia writes characters so vibrant and vivid, it feels as if you know them personally. She also has such a sharp wit and fresh feeling in her narrative voice that makes it an absolute joy to read. Her style has real flair that makes her feel like an incredibly promising talent.