Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow is a British writer whose debut novel, All the Little Bird-Hearts, was longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. The novel tells of a friendship that develops between Sunday, an autistic woman living in a Lake District home, and her newly arrived eccentric neighbor Vita, who emigrated from London with her husband Rollo. The friendship between the two women eventually sours as Sunday's daughter Dolly begins to favor the relationship with Vita while neglecting her mother.
The Booker Prize judging panel stated the work was a "lyrical and poignant debut novel offers a deft exploration of motherhood, vulnerability and the complexity of human relationships". James Smart, writing for The Guardian described the work as a "tightly focused story, set almost entirely in two neighbouring houses on a quiet street, that’s also a gleeful skewering of social codes, a raw portrait of family life and a revealing account of neurodivergence."
Biography
Lloyd-Barlow obtained her PhD in creative writing from the University of Kent, with Amy Sackville serving as her doctoral adviser. Lloyd-Barlow's debut novel, All the Little Bird-Hearts, was developed as a result of her PhD studies. She became the first autistic author to be nominated for a Booker Prize with the novel's longlisting in 2023.
Bibliography
- All the Little Bird-Hearts, Hachette Book Group, 2023. ISBN 1472288009.
References
- ^ "All the Little Bird-Hearts The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. 2 March 2023.
- Smart, James (31 August 2023). "All the Little Bird-Hearts by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow review – a mesmerising debut". The Guardian.
- ^ "Former Creative Writing PhD student longlisted for Booker Prize". News Centre - University of Kent. 17 August 2023.
- Mazumdar, Arunima (29 September 2023). "Interview: Victoria Lloyd-Barlow, author, All The Little Bird-Hearts". Hindustan Times.
- "All the Little Bird-Hearts". 4 September 2023.