The Wellcome Book Prize celebrates works of fiction and non-fiction that focus on science, medicine and health. Mend the Living by Maylis de Karengal was announced last night as the 2017 winner. 

The novel - which is one of two to have ever beaten non-fiction works to first place - was originally published in French, making this the first novel in translation to have been awarded the Wellcome Book Prize.

Val McDermid commented on behalf of the judging panel: “Mend the Living is a metaphorical and lyrical exploration of the journey of one heart and two bodies. Over 24 hours we travel from trauma to hope, discovering both the humane aspect of organ donation and the internal dramas of those affected by it. Compelling, original and ambitious, this novel illuminates what it is to be human”.

You can read more about the novel in our previous post here 

Information about all other works shortlisted for the 2017 prize can be found here