A novel by a first-time writer that was inspired by real-life child custody cases and the injustices of the Family Courts has won the prestigious Nero Gold Prize. Claire Lynch became the first debut novelist to be awarded the £30,000 prize for A Family Matter, which through a fictional mirror examines how, in the eighties, lesbian mothers almost always lost custody of their children during divorce cases.

Lynch, from Windsor, Berks, told the awards, hosted by sarah Montague on Wednesday evening, that the success of her book was a tribute to the many real people whose stories had inspired her.

Award-winning author and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nick Hornby, chip of judges, said: “The judges all loved A Family Matter. We admired its wry humour, its deft storytelling, and its love for all its characters, even those who behave in ways we find hard to understand, and who make choices which we would regard as morally questionable. It is both readable and intelligent, and it offers hope and consolation.

“We believe that this novel will be read and thought about for years to come, and we very much hope that the prize will help Claire Lynch further establish herself in a literary career which will produce more novels as satisfying as this one.”

The powerful novel began as a research project into gay mothers living in the shadow of the prejudice that marked much of the 1980s. Lynch was horrified to discover through court records that few were able to retain custody of their children, with the courts predominantly favouring the fathers in custody cases.

Hornby, author of Fever Pitch and About a Boy, added of the powerful story. “If I’d been asked to guess when the events in the backstory took place, I would have guessed the Fifties.”

Earlier in the evening, Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock reflected on the transformative power of books in her personal life and career.

Caffè Nero founder Gerry Ford said: “As the Nero Book Awards continue to grow, it becomes even harder to pick the Nero Gold Prize winner. For 2025, our judges have selected a provocative, thought-provoking book which showcases great writing. These Awards were established to discover the best talent being published in the UK and Ireland, and Claire Lynch is a great example of this. I look forward to seeing how she progresses in her career.”

Celebrating books across four categories (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Debut Fiction and Children’s Fiction), the Neros are the only major awards exclusively for writers based in the UK and Ireland. Since launching in 2023, they have established themselves as one of the most respected prizes in the literary world.

A Family Matter, described by one reviewer as featuring “smart and heartbreaking observations of human behaviour, but also by weaving in difficult truths”, tells the story of a family torn apart by secrets, as the lie behind a mother’s long-term absence from her child’s life begins to unravel.

The other titles in contention for the Nero Gold Prize were Seascraper by Benjamin Wood (Fiction Award), Death of An Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry (Non-Fiction Award) and My Soul, A Shining Tree by Jamila Gavin MBE (Children’s Fiction Award). Other judges includes BBC broadcaster Rita Chakrabarti and Victoria creator Daisy Goodwin.