Pure win for Costa Book of the Year

Set in Paris at the end of the 18th century, Pure was described by the chair of the judging panel Geordie Greig as "a rich and brilliant historical novel of death and superstition…a morality tale which engrosses with its vivid evocation of pre-revolutionary France."

Now in its 40th year, the Costa Book Awards is one of the UK’s most prestigious literary accolades and carries a top prize of £30,000 for the overall winner, which is selected from the winners of five individual categories.

This year Andrew Miller was up against strong competition in the form of Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy’s latest collection The Bees, debut novelist Christie Watson’s Tiny Sunbirds Far Away, children’s writer Moira Young’s Blood Red Road and the hotly-tipped biography of Edward Thomas by Matthew Hollis.

The prize was announced at a ceremony in London last night, where exciting plans for a new short story award were also revealed.