Virginia Giuffre's compelling posthumous memoir, co-written with Amy Wallace, has been crowned book of the year at the British Book Awards. Nobody's Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice also claimed the prize for non-fiction narrative book of the year at a ceremony held at Grosvenor House in London on Monday.
The late Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide last year aged 41, is one of the most prominent accusers of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Her widely-acclaimed book delivers a detailed account of her alleged trafficking by Epstein and Maxwell, and contains allegations against influential figures including Mountbatten-Windsor.
The victory is said to 'remind us of the power of books to uphold an author's legacy', particularly in light of the revelations emerging from the Epstein files — the US Department of Justice's document release relating to the convicted sex offender.
Other Notable Winners at the British Book Awards
The awards ceremony, hosted by TV presenter Steph McGovern, also saw Dame Jilly Cooper honoured amongst the authors recognised with a special posthumous award. Dame Jilly passed away unexpectedly in October aged 88, and was best known for her saucy 1980s romance novel Rivals, which has since been adapted into an award-winning Disney+ series starring David Tennant and Aidan Turner.
The celebrated author was honoured alongside fellow romance writers Joanna Trollope and Sophie Kinsella, while Emily Henry became the inaugural recipient of the romantic fiction book of the year award for Great Big Beautiful Life.
Michael Rosen, the creator behind beloved children's classic We're Going On A Bear Hunt, claimed the children's non-fiction illustrated award for his most recent collaboration with illustrator Helen Oxenbury, entitled Oh Dear, Look What I Got!
Children's publishing enjoyed a particularly successful evening, with Skandar series author AF Steadman being crowned author of the year, and American comic book creator Dav Pilkey securing illustrator of the year for his chart-topping Dog Man and Captain Underpants series.
Fiction and Genre Awards
US novelist Suzanne Collins secured the prize in the children's fiction category for Sunrise On The Reaping, a prequel to her young adult dystopian series The Hunger Games – which is currently being adapted into a forthcoming film set for release later this year. The 63-year-old Collins is perhaps best recognised for The Hunger Games franchise, which was transformed into three blockbuster films starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, spawning numerous spin-off novels.
The Housemaid author Freida McFadden and television presenter Richard Osman both earned recognition in the crime and thriller category, though Sally Smith ultimately claimed the prize for her novel A Case Of Mice And Murder. Jamie Smart claimed the first-ever graphic novel book of the year award, while Sarah Wynn-Williams scooped the audiobook non-fiction book of the year prize for Careless People — a memoir chronicling her time at Facebook (Meta) and laying bare the company's internal culture.
Judges' Remarks
Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of the judges at the British Book Awards, said: 'Our winners represent the very best of the book trade, standing up for the books and the authors when others would try to stand them down. The British Book Awards affirms our creatives, our entertainers and our truth-tellers, and we applaud those who did so much to bring their work to the public.'
Alice O'Keeffe, head of books for The Bookseller and chairwoman of the books of the year, revealed that the judges 'championed' Ms Giuffre's memoir, adding: 'With this award we recognise the late author's extraordinary courage and determination, supported by (publisher) Doubleday's sensitive campaign. #BelieveHer.'
