novel

2017 Stella Prize: Australia's best women's writing

The winner receives $50,000 — though sadly two of this year's shortlisted writers died last year.

RN's Books and Arts explains the broad range of work by the prize's six shortlisted authors.

An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire

This novel puts an act of sexual violence at its centre. A young woman — Bella — is raped and murdered.

But An Isolated Incident is not another sensationalist account of violence against women.