‘Abomination’ wins Jewish Book Award

In the US, Abomination by Melbourne-based author Ashley Goldberg (Vintage) has won the 2022 National Jewish Book Award for debut fiction.

Published in May last year, Goldberg’s debut novel follows two best friends whose paths diverge following a scandal at their ultra-orthodox Melbourne Jewish school. Abomination was shortlisted for the 2020 Kill Your Darlings Unpublished Manuscript Award prior to being acquired by Penguin Random House Australia in early 2021.

‘I’m overwhelmed and honoured by the award,’ said Goldberg of his win. ‘I never imagined that my novel would receive this kind of recognition from the other side of the globe. I want to thank the judges, the Jewish Book Council and of course Penguin Random House Australia for believing in me and Abomination.’

Other 2022 Jewish Book Award winners include Koshersoul (Michael W Twitty, HarperCollins) for book of the year, Signal Fires (Dani Shapiro, Chatto & Windus) for fiction, and The Escape Artist (Jonathan Freedland, John Murray) for biography.

Now in their 72nd year, the Jewish Book Awards are presented by category and recognise outstanding books in the field of Jewish literature.

In 2019, Australian writer Bram Presser won the debut fiction award for his novel The Book of Dirt (Text). For more information about the awards, and to see a full list of winners, visit the Jewish Book Council website.

Category: Awards Local news