WEST Belfast writer Michael Magee has scooped the inaugural Nero debut fiction award for his novel Close To Home.

Set in 2008 during the economic crash, the story revolves around the main character Sean who has returned to Belfast from university in Liverpool, only to find opportunities limited in a city that is still coming out of conflict. The Twinbrook author told the Andersonstown News that the main character is based on himself and his own experiences.

Last year the book won the Rooney Prize for Literature, was named the Irish Book of the Year by Waterstones and was recommended by American actress Sarah Jessica Parker who named the book among her best reads of 2023.

The Nero judges said: “What sets this apart is the voice, which perfectly evokes a character and a community straining so hard against the systemic clamps of poverty, disillusionment and ennui that the effort crackles off the page.”

Michael Magee dedicated his award to the Palestinian writer, Ahmed Masoud who travelled to Dublin last month to take part in the Irish Writers for Palestine fundraising event. Last month Ahmed’s brother, Khalid, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.