The third "Wellcome Trust Book Prize ":http://www.wellcomebookprize.org/has been awarded to Alice LaPlante for her debut novel Turn of Mind, a tale of a family’s secrets exposed by murder and a brilliant mind in terminal decline. It is the first work of fiction to win the Prize, triumphing ahead of Philip Roth’s study of a polio epidemic in wartime Newark, Nemisis, and Siddhartha Mukherjee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning history of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies.
The £25,000 Wellcome Trust Book Prize is open to outstanding works of fiction and non-fiction on the theme of health and medicine. It brings together the worlds of medicine and literature, appealing to literature lovers and science enthusiasts alike.
Turn of Mind (Random House, Harvill Secker) is written from the perspective of Dr Jennifer White, an eminent former surgeon in the final stages of Alzheimer’s who comes under suspicion following the murder of her best friend.
As the novel progresses, our narrator’s mind collapses as she enters the last stages of dementia. While her world falls apart, the investigation into the murder of her friend, Amanda, uncovers her family’s darkest secrets. The mounting investigation and the ravages of disease both exert their pressures upon Dr. White and the story pulls the reader in, building to a thrilling climax. LaPlante’s superbly evocative first-person narrative brings the reality of Alzheimer’s to life.
The vivid portrayal of Alzheimer’s drew praise from the judges. Vivienne Parry, Chair of the judging panel said: ‘Technically daring, Turn of Mind tells a gripping story in the voice of someone actually afflicted with Alzheimer’s and emphatically confirms the ability of literature to tell us more about the heart and soul of an illness than any text book. Hats off to Alice LaPlante for carrying off this prize for her very first novel, particularly against such stiff competition.’
This year’s shortlist for the Wellcome Trust Book Prize featured a diverse range of entries, ranging from autobiography to history to fiction, and each book gave a unique and exciting insight into the medical world. Book Club packs are available for each shortlisted title. You can also hear the judges’ thoughts on this year’s shortlist.
