The Cut Out Girl by Bart van Es wins Costa book of the year

Book’s subject, Lien de Jong, 85, who survived second world war ordeal, attends ceremony

The 85-year-old woman whose harrowing story is at the heart of Bart van Es’s The Cut Out Girl was in attendance to watch him win the £30,000 Costa book of the year award for the biography, which judges called “extraordinary”.

Van Es and Lien de Jong embraced on stage in front of a packed room after he was announced as winner at the awards on Tuesday night. “Without family you don’t have a story. Now I have a story … Bart has reopened the channels of family,” she said.

The Cut Out Girl beat Sally Rooney’s widely praised novel Normal People, Stuart Turton’s debut novel The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, JO Morgan’s poetry collection Assurances and Hilary McKay’s children’s book The Skylarks’ War to the award for the year’s “most enjoyable” book. Won in the past by authors including Sebastian Barry, Hilary Mantel, Helen Macdonald and Helen Dunmore, it brings with it a guaranteed sales boost along with the £30,000 cheque.

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from Books | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2TkEGWB

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