Amy Liptrot’s Orkney memoir shortlisted for book prize

The Outrun by Amy Liptrot, a memoir of addiction and recovery and the part played in the latter by the natural world on Orkney, was shortlisted this week for the RSL Ondaatje Prize, an award for “a distinguished work of fiction, nonfiction or poetry evoking the spirit of a place”. The book, published by Canongate, has already won Liptrot the Wainwright Prize for nature/travel writing focused on Britain.

Last year’s Ondaatje Prize shortlist was unusual in that it included a poetry collection – for the first time in seven years – and had no novels.

None of the lounges it visited was awarded more than 3.5 stars out of five, while the worst, Gatwick My Lounge North, which charges £24 for entry on the door, was criticised for its “grubby” floors, “unappetising” food, and lack of power sockets for laptops.

The most expensive options, Heathrow SkyTeam T4 and Heathrow Aspire T5, both of which charge £40 entry, were awarded just two stars.

The best lounge, according to Which? Travel, was No1 Gatwick South, which charges £37.50 on door (£30 online). It was praised for its “slightly more exclusive environment”, but not the “uninspiring” food. This year, The Outrun aside, all the books are fiction.

All the other books shortlisted are novels: In a Land of Paper Gods by Rebecca Mackenzie (Tinder Press); Augustown by Kei Miller (Weidenfeld & Nicolson); Five Rivers Met on a Wooded Plain by Barney Norris (Doubleday); Golden Hill by Francis Spufford (Faber & Faber); and The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain (Chatto & Windus). The winner will be announced on May 8.

Puffins chatter on a ledge in the Orkney Isles, where Amy Liptrot’s memoir is partly based