'three haunting books, all gripping in different ways while dealing with the complications of love and life in extremis. Together they are a celebration of new writing of which Desmond Elliott would be proud.'

The inaugural Desmond Elliott Prize was awarded on the 26th June 2008 to Nikita Lalwani for Gifted, a story about a maths prodigy growing up in 1980s Cardiff, published by Penguin Books.

Published in the UK by Fourth Estate, with the paperback out from Harper Perennial just last month, A GIRL MADE OF DUST has also been sold in several countries around the world, including to Random in Canada and Grove Atlantic in the US. Translation rights are sold in Germany, Holland, Italy, Lithuania and Spain.

Praise for A GIRL MADE OF DUST:
'Captivating…A subtle, pertinent depiction of civilian life in the midst of bewildering conflict.'
-- Catherine Taylor, The Guardian

'A simple, honest story…Loosely based on her childhood experiences, Abi-Ezzi's novel is a testimony to survival.'
-- Rebecca Starford, The Australian

'A compelling chronicle of innocence lost…Abi-Ezzi portrays the child's awakening to the cruelties of life as both heartbreaking and profound, successfully eluding the clichés associated with the coming-of-age novel while simultaneously generously enriching its vocabulary.'
-- Val Nolan, The Sunday Business Post

For more information you can visit the Desmond Elliott Prize homepage, the Bookseller's news report, and Nathalie's BFLA author page.