The judges said, ‘In choosing Revenge as our winner, we firstly discussed the almost painful sympathy we felt for the protagonist, Yannie. While other books on our shortlist were also emotionally involving, particularly the books by Down, Janson, and Wyld, we felt that Revenge edged ahead of these due to the freshness of its setting and the relevance of its message to everyone …We admired Lim’s clear eye in addressing the internalised misogyny of their women characters and the agony of Yannie’s desires in a homophobic society. Revenge could be read as a revenge fantasy, and while this view is cathartic, it’s not just about one woman and her story. Our deciding factor was the incredible way that Lim addresses the complex structural and cultural dynamics that prevented Yannie having agency over her own life. Revenge answers those people who say: why didn’t she just? Why didn’t she just leave, why didn’t she just say no, why didn’t she just do it anyway? ‘
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