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Catherine was delighted to win the prize of £2,500. ‘I’m very grateful to Guildford Book Festival and to the Jelf Group for this Award. First time novelists face a lot of difficulties getting books published and getting anyone to notice them and so an award like this is really worthwhile. It’s wonderful in highlighting all the shortlisted books and bringing them all to wider attention.’
Catherine O’Flynn won the Jelf Group First Novel Award straight after a hat-trick of major prize nominations (Man Booker, Orange and Guardian First Book) and being featured as BBC Radio Five Live’s Book of the Month.
What Was Lost has been impressing readers throughout the country since its publication in January 2007 by Tindal Street Press. It was immediately named as BBC Five Live’s ‘Book of the Month’ and attracted debate on literary blogs. National reviews were overwhelmingly positive, the Guardian calling it an ‘exceptional, polyphonic novel of urban disaffection, written with humour and pathos’.
The 2007 Goss First Novel Award Shortlist was
- The Solitude of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding
- The Crow Stone by Jenni Mills
- What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn
- Salt by Jeremy Page
- Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott
- The Lying Tongue by Andrew Wilson
Previous First Novel Award winners:
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2006
Mike Stocks - White Man Falling |
2005
Clare Clark - The Great Stink |
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2004
Panos Karnezis - The Maze |
2003
Babs Horton - A Jarful Of Angels |
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2002
Hari Kunzru - The Impressionist |
2001
Shamim Sharif - World Unseen |
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