A coming-of-age story set in the summer of 1981 in Derry – where a wave of anger caused by the hunger strikes was seeping into friendship and family life – Geraldine Quigley’s debut novel is as devastating as it is vividly realised. The book is reminiscent of This Is England in the way it documents the styles and music of the time, as well as its portrayal of how youthful romanticism can slide into extremism. (January)

One of the most inventive writers currently working in the North, Jan Carson’s second novel is an eerie, compelling examination of a city and a population in stasis. The plot revolves around two fathers living in modern day East Belfast who fear the powerful – and damaging – potential of their children. With elements of magic realism and social realism, Carson examines how nihilistic and destructive instincts can prove overwhelming, especially in a fragile, post-conflict city where violence is always simmering below the surface. (March)