Awards
Costa First Novel Award
2009 Shortlist
Beauty by Raphael Selbourne
Publisher: Tindal Street Press
Beauty - in name and appearance - is a twenty-year-old Bangladeshi, back in England having disgraced her family by fleeing an abusive arranged marriage. Placed on the jobseeker's treadmill and under continuing domestic pressure, in desperation she runs away. Her fractious encounters with officialdom, fellow claimants and passers-by in the city streets, exacerbated by the restrictions (and comfort) of her language and culture, place her at the mercy of such unlikely helpers as Mark, a friendly Staffordshire Bull Terrier-breeding ex-offender, and Peter, a middle-class underachiever. Determined and spirited, yet tormented by doubts, Beauty is forced to examine her own beliefs and think seriously about her future. While her brothers search for her across the city, the conflict between her desire for personal freedom and her sense of family duty deepens. What will she do?
Raphael Selbourne was born in Oxford in 1968. He lived in Italy for many years, where he worked variously as a teacher and translator, sold television advertising and scooters, before moving to the West Midlands in 2004.
Judges: "Captures the raw humanity of inner city life with extraordinary authenticity."
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