The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es has won the Costa Book of the Year award.
The biography tells the true story of a young Jewish girl living in Holland during WWII, where she was hidden and raised by a foster family during the Nazi occupation. After hearing her story, Oxford professor van Es tracked down the girl, Lien de Jong, who is now in her eighties and living in Amsterdam. The Cut Out Girl merges Lien's childhood story with van Es' attempt to piece it together.
Standard columnist Robert Fox praised the novel, stating in his review: "Van Es has created a masterpiece of history and memoir, concluding on a note of reconciliation, hope and great love — the ideal antidote to the political toxins of Brexit Britain today."
The Costa Book Awards is the only major UK book prize open solely to authors resident in the UK and Ireland.
Van Es' novel was up against Normal People by Sally Rooney, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, The Skylarks' War by Hilary McKay and Assurances by J. O. Morgan.
On accepting his award, van Es said he was 'thankful to my amazing grandparents, who showed such bravery when others could not' before directing the audience to Lien who attended the awards with him.
Lien added: "Without family you don’t have a story. Now I have a story … Bart has reopened the channels of family,”
Earlier in January, these five novels were announced as the category award winners, with Rooney becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Costa Novel Award.
Turton won the category award for best first novel, van Es for best biography, Morgan for best poetry book and McKay for best children's book.
Caroline Ward Vine's short story Breathing Water was also awarded the Costa Short Story Award.
