The announcement was made on Monday 15 June, at an award ceremony at The St David's Hotel and Spa, introduced by BBC Political Editor, Betsan Powys and poet Linton Kwesi Johnson.

Deborah received the £10,000 prize from judge Mike Parker.

Set in the eastern valleys of South Wales from 1970 to the present, Grace, Tamar and Laszlo the Beautiful tells the story of two sisters, Grace and Tamar, their volatile childhood, disruptive coming of age and dubious maturity. By turns moving, hilarious and terrifying and often all three at once, it is an unusual collection in that each story is complete in its own right, but also forms part of a continuous and powerful sequence. Part fantasy, part social history, these are dark, universal tales about how utterly strange it is to learn to be human.

The Wales Book of the Year is administered by Academi and funded by the Arts Council of Wales through its income from the Welsh Assembly Government.