Candice Carty-Williams has become the first black author to win book of the year at the British Book Awards- BBA.
Her debut novel, Queenie, stood out against authors including Lisa Taddeo, Oyinkan Braithwaite and Margaret Atwood.
Reacting, Carty-Williams expressed gratitude to the team that helped pulled Queenie out of her head, on to the shelves.
She also expressed sad joy being the first black and female author to have won the award since it was established.
The win comes just weeks after fellow author Evaristo became the first black British woman to top the UK paperback fiction chart and Reni Eddo-Lodge became the first black British author to top the UK’s best-seller list.
Elsewhere, there were wins for Oyinkan Braithwaite for her book My Sister, the Serial Killer, Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone’s Pinch of Nom won best non-fiction lifestyle while Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments scooped audio book of the year.
