Guardian First Book Award

The short list for the Guardian's First Book award features four novels and one collection of short stories. Last year, the list featured four non-fiction titles so there's evidently no attempt at balancing out the nominees through genres... and no guessing as to what will seize the day. Here are this year's contenders:

• A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Yiyun Li (the short story collection)
• Everyman's Rules for Scientific Living, Carrie Tiffany
• In the Country of Men, Hisham Matar
• Harbor, Lorraine Adams
• Poppy Shakespeare, Clare Allan