Molly Schmidt’s Salt River Road Earns Spot on Readings Prize Shortlist

City of Fremantle Hungerford Award winner Molly Schmidt is in the running for The Readings New Australian Fiction Prize for her coming-of age-novel Salt River Road. 

Now in its tenth year, and the only award run by an independent Melbourne bookshop, the Readings Prize supports new and outstanding Australian voices with the winners receiving a $5,000 cash prize. Judges choose the works which they believe have attained the highest literary merit. These are books that contribute richness and variety to Australian readers, and are also ‘cracking good reads’.

Molly Schmidt said it had been almost a year since Salt River Road had been published and, after a decade writing the book, she remembered how emotional it felt to finish the story of the troublesome Tetley family. She said, ‘But far from bidding them goodbye, I’ve been overjoyed to see the Tetleys live on in the minds and hearts of readers. In the last year, I have learned so much about what goes on behind the scenes in the publishing world, and the work it takes to get a book on shelves. To be shortlisted for an award that is chosen by booksellers is an enormous honour, as these are the people hard at work making sure the right books land in the right hands. I’m very grateful. Rose and Frank would say it’s a “bloody ripper” to make such an esteemed award list.’

The judges for the 2024 prize were Yasmin Baker (Readings Doncaster), Louise Ryan (Readings Carlton), Melinda Houston (Readings Carlton) and Aurelia Orr (Readings Kids) with the final selection made in conjunction with Readings Managing Director, Joe Rubbo.

Yasmin Baker described the book thus: ‘Set in 1970s Western Australia, Salt River Road is a compelling and poignant read that focuses on the Tetley family as they deal with their grief over the loss of a family member to cancer. It’s a powerful book with a strong message of hope and resilience that will touch everyone’s heart.’ 

The Readings Prize Manager, Angela Crocombe said, ‘This year’s shortlisted authors range from First Nations authors, whose storytelling ancestors trace back more than 65,000 years, to children of recent immigrants, who write about straddling two cultures and sometimes feeling as if they don’t quite belong to either. All the shortlisted books reflect a commitment to the craft of writing and even the stories for the youngest will capture the imaginations of readers of all ages.’ 

Also in contention for the prize are Thanks for Having Me by Emma Darragh (Joan), Ghost Cities by Siang Lu (University of Queensland Press), No Church in the Wild by Murray Middleton (Picador), The Opposite of Success by Eleanor Elliott Thomas (Text) and But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu (Hamish Hamilton).

Previous winners of The Readings New Australian Fiction Prize include Ceridwen Dovey (2014), Stephanie Bishop (2015), Zoë Morrison (2016), Sam Carmody (2017), Jennifer Down (2018), Alice Robinson (2019), Elizabeth Tan (2020[RH1] ), Andrew Pippos (2021), Jessica Au (2022) and Tracey Lien (2023).

Winners will be announced at a special ceremony in Melbourne on Tuesday 22 Octoberat 6.30 pm.

Salt River Road won the 2022 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award and has gone on to win hearts and acclaim. Molly will help launch the next winner into the world of publishing when she co-hosts the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award ceremony on 24 October 2024.