Claire Lynch has won the Nero Gold prize for her debut novel A Family Matter, which explores the long-term effects of prejudice and secrecy on a lesbian couple in 1980s England. The £30,000 award was presented at a ceremony in London on Wednesday evening.
Lynch said she was “genuinely knocked off my feet” and that the prize “gives me a bit of permission… to say ‘You’re a real writer’”. Judging chair Nick Hornby praised the book’s “wry humour, deft storytelling and its love for all its characters”.
The novel alternates between 1982 and present-day England, following Maggie as she uncovers her mother Dawn’s clandestine relationship with a woman. When Maggie’s father discovers the affair, a bitter custody battle ensues, and Dawn loses custody amid the homophobia of the era. Lynch drew directly from real court transcripts for the legal proceedings.
The Nero book awards, run by Caffè Nero, were launched in 2023 after Costa Coffee ended its book awards. A Family Matter had previously won the debut fiction category, competing against other category winners including Benjamin Wood’s Seascraper, Sarah Perry’s Death of an Ordinary Man, and Jamila Gavin’s My Soul, A Shining Tree.
Lynch, who also wrote the nonfiction book Small: On Motherhoods, lives in Windsor with her wife and three daughters. She wrote the novel while working full-time, often waking at 5am to write. Last year’s winner was Sophie Elmhirst for Maurice and Maralyn.
