The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan has been named the Indie ‘Book of the Year’!

Each year, independent booksellers from around the nation get together and vote for their favourite titles in four different categories, as well as their favourite book overall. This year Richard Flanagan has been awarded the big prize, placing him beside previous winning authors - M.L.Stedman, Anh Do, Craig Silvey, Tim Winton and Anna Funder.

Here are the winners for each category along with comments from booksellers across Australia:

The Fiction winner is…
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan (Random House)

When I read Flanagan, I become absorbed. All those perfect word choices translate directly into emotions, into insights, into tension and amazement. I know we’re not supposed to believe in ‘the human condition’ any more, but sue me if Flanagan doesn’t illuminate it, again and again.
- Samuel Williams from Mostly Books (SA)

(Read our review

The Debut Fiction winner is…
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (Pan Macmillan)

We love this book for the way that Hannah Kent draws Agnes out of the historical context so that she emerges as very human and though she sees through the era’s gender and class hypocrisies, she understands that she is also ultimately bound by them.
- Annie Sharkey & Alan Crooks from The Turning Page Bookshop (NSW)

(Read our review

The Non-Fiction winner is…
Girt by David Hunt (Black Inc.)

David Hunt’s unsuppressed glee in titling his book
- Rachel, Keith & Sarah from Written Dimension (QLD)

(Read our review

The Children’s winner is…
Kissed by the Moon by Alison Lester (Penguin)

The first time I read
- Emily Gale from Readings (VIC)

(Read our review

You can read more about the prize here.