Tale of Family Life that took 13 years to write scoops International Dublin Literary Award and €100k prize

The Indian-American novelist Akhil Sharma has won the International Dublin Literary Award for his second novel, Family Life. He is the 21st winner of the €100,000 prize.

Family Life is a fictionalised account of his own family’s move from Delhi to New York in the late 1970s. All seems to be going well until the elder son suffers a catastrophic brain injury which leaves him requiring round-the-clock care. The novel charts the strains on the family from the point of view of the younger son, Ajay, who is eight years old when the novel starts.

“The real value of the award, aside from the money, is that it draws attention to the book,” said Sharma, who still lives in New York. “You need to sell a certain amount of copies in order for word of mouth to kick in, and awards help.”