ELLE's Literary Editor Anna James gives her take on the six-book shortlist.
The winner of the 2016 Baileys Prize for Women's Fiction will be announced at the Royal Festival Hall on Wednesday night and I've been busy reading the six books on the shortlist.
For me, book prizes are all about celebrating the innovative and the creative and the cleverly executed; I want more than just a good read from a prizewinner, I want to be challenged, excited and moved.
The six books on this year's shortlist make for a nice collection, there really is something for everyone and it's an eclectic mix of voices and styles.
Which makes choosing a winner even tougher.
So here's my verdict to help you decide which of the six to delve into first.
This book has been splitting opinion and causing Twitter arguments since it came out last year. An epic story of the lives of four young men, focusing on severely troubled Jude. While I found passages to be incredibly beautiful, and I loved much of the first half as Yanagihara explored the men's burgeoning friendship, for me it tipped over into parody around the halfway point.
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2
The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild (Bloomsbury)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this but in my view it's not a prizewinner. It's pacy, witty and has some glorious descriptions of food and art, but it never really challenged me in any way other than the fact that I felt like I didn't really get a lot of the jokes that often revolved around being really rich.
There is some slightly awkward romanticising of the woes of the ultra-wealthy, but if you take it as a satirical romp through the London art world, there's lots of fun to be had.
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3
The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie (Fourth Estate)
In terms of sheer reading joy, this was my favourite. It's exactly what I look for in a book; it's smart and whimsical and it made me smile throughout. On the surface, it's the story of Veblen and her relationship with new fiancé Paul but the quirkiness also gives way to some real depth and a very sharp exploration of identity, family and loyalty.
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4
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney (John Murray)
My bet is that in the judging room it will come down to this and Ruby for the win. Although The Green Road is the bookies' favourite I would be fairly surprised if it wasn't McInerney or Bond who win. This whipsmart book of a troubled community of drug dealers, gangsters and prostitutes in Cork is a bit of a revelation and a very impressive debut. It's darkly funny and surprisingly moving by the end, and feels like a very modern classic.
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5
The Green Road by Anne Enright (Vintage)
Anne Enright is no stranger to book awards; she won the 2007 Man Booker for The Gatheringand has been shortlisted for this prize once before as well. This beautifully crafted story of family, Ireland and belonging has a lot to recommend it but I think it would make for quite a safe choice for the win.
One for fans of Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread.
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6
Ruby by Cynthia Bond (Two Roads)
This is my winner. A story of race and gender set against the backdrop of the spiritualism and small town politics of Liberty, Texas. The soaring, lyrical writing tells a story of cruelty and abuse and it's a heart-wrenching, difficult read at times but there is also magic and hope, and even some humour.