Amanda Lohrey won the A$5,000 (about US$3,565) Voss Literary Prize for her novel The Labyrinth, Books + Publishing reported. The prize, which is judged by the Australian University Heads of English, honors the best novel from the previous year.
The judging panel described The Labyrinth as "a cool, elegant novel that explores the consolations and mystery of art--in this instance, through the immersion of self in the act of doing. Lohrey doesn't encourage her readers to identify personally with her characters, or to embroil themselves in the intricacies of plot. Rather, we are to sit with her protagonist, Erica, and allow her story to quietly burrow into our hearts and souls. We are invited to attend to the planning and building of Erica's labyrinth but not to anticipate or overthink.... It is this quality of quietness, drawing us into a silent meditation on the nature of creativity, that sets The Labyrinth apart from other novels that boast more seductive characters, more glittering wordplay, more urgent political messages. The Labyrinth suggests ways in which we might come together, find strength in community and nature, and psychological and spiritual healing. The labyrinth itself remains a work in progress--there is no closure but there is hope."