Virginia Giuffre’s powerful posthumous memoir, co-written with Amy Wallace, has been named book of the year at the British Book Awards.
Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice also picked up the prize for non-fiction narrative book of the year at a ceremony 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-praised book provides a detailed account of her alleged trafficking by Epstein and Maxwell, and includes allegations against powerful men such as Mountbatten-Windsor.
The win is said to “remind us of the power of books to uphold an author’s legacy”, in light of the revelations of the Epstein files – the US Department of Justice’s document dump relating to the convicted sex offender.
The awards ceremony, hosted by TV presenter Steph McGovern, also saw Dame Jilly Cooper among the authors commemorated with a special posthumous award.
Dame Jilly died unexpectedly October aged 88, and was best known for her raunchy 1980s romance novel Rivals, which has seen been adapted into an award-winning Disney+ series starring David Tennant and Aidan Turner.
The award-winning author was remembered alongside fellow romance writers Joanna Trollope and Sophie Kinsella, while Emily Henry became the first winner of the romantic fiction book of the year award for Great Big Beautiful Life.
The author of popular children’s book We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, Michael Rosen, won the children’s non-fiction illustrated award for his latest book with illustrator Helen Oxenbury, titled Oh Dear, Look What I Got!
It was a good night for children’s publishing as Skandar series creator AF Steadman was named author of the year, while US comic book writer Dav Pilkey won illustrator of the year for his best-selling bestselling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series.
American author Suzanne Collins took home the prize in the children’s fiction category for Sunrise On The Reaping, a prequel to young adult dystopian series The Hunger Games – which is being adapted into an upcoming film due for release later this year.
Collins, 63, is best known for The Hunger Games franchise, which was adapted into three hit films starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, and led to multiple spin-off books.
The Housemaid author Freida McFadden and TV presenter Richard Osman both received a nod in the crime and thriller category but Sally Smith ultimately took home the prize, for her novel A Case Of Mice And Murder.
Jamie Smart took home the inaugural graphic novel book of the year award, while Sarah Wynn-Williams won the prize for book of the year in the audiobook non-fiction category for Careless People – a memoir detailing her time working at Facebook (Meta), examining its internal culture.
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.
“In 2025 the importance of the book was manifest, it was a beacon to many and a heartbeat for all.”
Alice O’Keeffe, head of books for The Bookseller and chairwoman of the books of the year, said 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.”
