‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ wins Indie Book of the Year 2014
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (Vintage) has been named Indie Book of the Year at the 2014 Indie Awards, presented by Leading Edge Books in Sydney on 26 March.
Flanagan also won the award for Best Fiction. The Best Nonfiction award went to Girt by David Hunt (Black Inc.), Best Debut Fiction to Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (Picador) and Best Children’s & YA Book to Kissed By the Moon by Alison Lester (Viking).
‘As with all great literature, this is a book that can be read on many levels—a deeply moving novel of one man’s life, a devastatingly beautiful love story, a harrowing historical narrative daring us never to forget and most of all, as an ode to the resilience of the human spirit,’ said Galina Marinov, buyer/marketing manager at Leading Edge Books. ‘All this makes it a dream book in the hands of independent booksellers—to read, to love and to recommend wholeheartedly to their customers.’
Flanagan said: ‘If there is a motif for my novel it is the circle, and it seems fitting that a book whose public life began with me speaking about it at the Leading Edge conference last year now sees me return to thank you, the independent booksellers, for this award. 2013 was a golden year for Australian books. Across fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books there were so many outstanding works that sold in record numbers. In what is in many ways a time of despair and difficulty for those in the world of books, I want to thank Australian independent bookshops not only for this award but for making this small miracle possible.’
The Indie Awards winners were selected by judging panels made up of independent booksellers and readers. The shortlists for the awards, which were nominated by Leading Edge Books members from around Australia, can be viewed here.
In 2013, the Indie Book of the Year was The Light between Oceans by ML Stedman (Vintage). For more information about the awards, click here.
Tags: indieawardsleadingedgebooks
Category: Local news
