Photo credit: Penguin Randomhouse SA

Nigerian author Cheluchi Onyemelukwe Onuobia is having a swell year. Her debut novel The Son of the House was published earlier this year to positive reviews (read Brittle Paper’s review of the book here). More recently, the author was announced winner in the ‘Best International Fiction Book Award’ category for The Son of the House at the 2019 Sharjah International Book Fair in Dubai, UAE. Previous winners in the category include the American authors David Baldacci and Sorraya Khan, and the Motswana author Lauri Kubuitsile.

The author shared the news, as well as her reaction, on Twitter.

The Sharjah International Book Fair, an initiative of the Sharjah Book Authority, is an annual event that draws over 2 million visitors, thousands of publishers and exhibitors from more than 80 countries. The Sharjah Award for Best International Book is one of three categories of awards presented at the fair and “recognises an international work of literature that has captured the imagination and has been met with critical acclaim in the literary world.” Winners are also given a prize money worth 50, 000 AED.

This is the first award for The Son of the House. Here’s to more wins.

Congratulations to Cheluchi!