The Shortlist

Town, James Roy

My brother Kimlan works all night fixing the road. He wears a shirt that reflects the light from the cars. The boss man says that if he does not wear that shirt, no one will be able to see him unless he smiles.

Tales from Outer Suburbia, Shaun Tan

It's funny how these days, when every household has its own intercontinental ballistic missile, you hardly even think about them.

A Brief History of Montmaray, Michelle Cooper

Officially, the head of our household is Uncle John, who is Aunt Charlotte's brother and Veronica's father (and the King of Montmaray), but he's rather distracted on his good days, and downright alarming on his bad ones.

Genesis, Bernard Beckett

…the only thing the population had to fear, was fear itself. The true danger humanity faced during this period was the shrinking of its own spirit.

Boy Toy, Barry Lyga

It was like watching the mating rituals of retarded birds, clumsily stepping the wrong patterns around each other over and over again.

Before I Die, Jenny Downham

I sit up and switch on the bedside light. There's a pen, but no paper, so on the wall behind me I write, I want to feel the weight of a boy on top of me.