The compelling debut novel Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj, ‘brimming with hope and empathy’, has been longlisted in the 2025 PEN/Faulkner Awards.
‘This year’s list teems with the personal and the historic, offering us humor, tenderness, and hardship, all while confronting readers with a clarity that is reflective of the exciting breadth of American fiction,’ said PEN/Faulkner Awards Committee Chair Lauren Francis-Sharma.
The authors of the five finalist books will be honored at the PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration, which will be held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library on May 15.
Shortlists announced: March
Winner announced: April