Released 24/04/2023
The 2022 ACT Book of the Year has been awarded to Believe in Me, by author Lucy Neave. Lucy, whose first book Who We Were was shortlisted for ACT Book of the Year in 2018, will receive the $10,000 prize this year.
The judges have also awarded three highly commended and three shortlisted novels from local authors this year.
ACT Book of the Year 2022 finalists:
- Winner: Believe in Me by Lucy Neave
- Highly Commended: The Kindness of Birds by Merlinda Bobis
- Highly Commended: Milk by Dylan van den Berg
- Highly Commended: Killernova by Omar Musa
- Shortlisted: Two Afternoons in the Kabul Stadium: A History of Afghanistan Through Clothes, Carpets and the Camera by Tim Bonyhady
- Shortlisted: Failures of Command: The Death of Private Robert Poate by Hugh Poate
- Shortlisted: As Beautiful As Any Other: A Memoir of My Body by Kaya Wilson.
All books are available on loan from ACT Libraries.
Minister for the Arts Tara Cheyne congratulated the winning author and those highly commended and shortlisted for the award.
“Congratulations to Lucy for her powerful second novel Believe in Me. Believe in Me is a moving and beautiful story ofthree generations of one familyand the healing power of understanding where you have come from. The book combines deep feeling with insight and compassion.
“I’d also like to congratulate Merlinda Bobis, Omar Musa and Dylan van den Berg for their highly commended works.
“Thank you also to our judges, Sam Faulkner, Jasper Lindell and Patrick Mullins who faced the difficult task of selecting the 2022 Award finalists.
“The calibre of nominations this year has been outstanding and highlights the excellence of the talented ACT writing community,” said Minister Cheyne.
Nominations for the 2023 ACT Book of the Year will open on 1 May 2023.
Visit the artsACT website for more information.
Judges’ comment:
Lucy Neave’s second novel Believe in Me moves across continents and time, telling an expansive story that vividly explores the bonds of motherhood, the fragility of knowing, and familial inheritance. Believe in Me questions whether we can ever truly know of our parents’ early lives, even as their experiences weave ineffably into our identities and destinies. Neave writes assuredly and is never weighed down by her subject matter.
- Statement ends -
Tara Cheyne, MLA | Media Releases