Olufunke Grace Bankole’s novel was praised by the jury for its masterful storytelling and multi-generational depth, exploring the bonds of family, memory, and migration across continents.
By Abioye Damilare Samson
The 2025 edition of the Westport Prize for Literature has named Nigerian-American writer, Olufunke Grace Bankole, as this year’s winner for her debut novel, The Edge of Water. The annual award honors an original work of literary fiction that is both relevant and timeless.
Bankole’s novel was praised by the jury for its masterful storytelling and multi-generational depth, exploring the bonds of family, memory, and migration across continents. “The Edge of Water is a beautifully realized epic tale following the lives of three generations of women across two continents”, said author, Maurice Carlos Ruffin. “Bankole expertly explores tenderness and heartache without sentimentality. This is a stunning addition to the canon of diasporic tales”.
The writer will officially receive the $10,000 prize on November 6, 2025, at a ceremony in The Westport Library’s Trefz Forum. The event will also feature a special conversation between Bankole and Meghan O’Rourke, editor of The Yale Review.
Published by Tin House, The Edge of Water follows Amina, who migrates from Nigeria to New Orleans to forge her own path, only for her life and dreams to be threatened by a hurricane. Years later, her daughter must grapple with questions about the mother she barely knew and the family left behind in Nigeria.
The book has been widely acclaimed, receiving starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Foreword Reviews, while Goodreads listed it among the “hottest debut novels of 2025”.
This is the third year of the Westport Prize. In 2023, its inaugural edition honored Zadie Smith for The Fraud, while Alejandro Puyana won in 2024 for Freedom is a Feast. For 2025, The Edge of Water emerged the winner from a shortlist that included Nicole Cuffy’s O Sinners and Jennifer Haigh’s Rabbit Moon.
Reacting to the recognition, Molly Stern, founder and CEO of Zando, the parent company of Tin House, described the award as “a generous recognition of a work of uncompromising beauty”.
The Westport Prize for Literature, established in 2023, is administered by a steering committee of Westport residents, with winners selected by an independent jury. This year’s jurors included playwright and author, Tommy Greenwald, industry veteran, Erica Melnichok, and nonfiction writer, Nina Sankovitch.