Her first novel , '' A Cupboard Full of Coats '' , was published in 2011 by Oneworld Publications and received many accolades , among them being named a '' Kirkus Reviews '' " 2011 Best of Fiction " choice , being longlisted for the 2011 Man Booker Prize , shortlisted for the Writers ' Guild Awards 2011 , shortlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award 2011 , shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize in 2012 , nominated for the 44th NAACP Image Awards in January 2013 , nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2013 , and nominated for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award 2013 . It was described by '' Kirkus Reviews '' as " An impressive debut , particularly notable for its pellucid prose . " Jonathan Barnes wrote of it in '' The Literary Review '' : " Rich in emotion but resolutely unsentimental , the story is unspooled with judgement and skill . Information is released at an almost ideal pace and secrets are withheld until the last possible moment . Edwards ’s clear , colloquial prose is full of quietly impressive phrase-making . ... The performance is a wholly satisfying one and the novel ’s valedictory suggestions of redemption feel earned , solid and real . " Edwards ' second book , '' The Mother '' , published in 2016 , received a nomination in the 48th NAACP Image Awards in the category " Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction " , and was also a nominee for the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award in 2017 . Highly recommending the novel , which " delves into the timely issue of violence against and between young black men — both its possible causes , and its heartrending effects on the families involved " , '' BookPage '' stated that " Edwards perceptively explores a wide realm of issues ... with compassion for her characters and with intuitive understanding of the effects of loss on a family " . '' Paste '' magazine described it as " a powerful work that illuminates the web of ramifications spun from a personal tragedy " , and NBC News commented on the author 's " masterful storytelling " . The '' New York Journal of Books '' described it as " a clear-eyed , unsentimental novel about modern city life and the challenges parents face " , and concluded : " '' The Mother '' is another hit-the-ball-out-of-the-park novel by a writer to watch . Yvvette Edwards should be proud of her work . "
44th NAACP Image Awards
44th NAACP Image Awards
Yvvette Edwards