Another literary prize, another win for a small publisher. Amy Sackville's debut novel, The Still Point,
won the £5,000 (US$7,885) John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, which honors the
best work of literature by a U.K. or Commonwealth writer aged 35 or
under.
Chair of judges Claire Allfree said Sackville "took our
breath away" with her use of language. "It has a huge imaginative scope.
It tells its story in unexpected, subtle ways and her use of language
took our breath away. She is a writer of seemingly limitless promise
and, amid some tough competition, a thoroughly deserving winner."
The Still Point
is published by Portobello Books, and "its win continues the trend
which has seen independents take a number of high-profile prizes
internationally this year, including, most recently, Canada's Giller
prize and America's National Book Awards fiction prize," the Guardian wrote.