The Dictionary of Lost Words is the debut novel by Australian writer Pip Williams. It was sixth on the list of Australian fiction bestsellers for 2020[1] and as of 18 January 2021 it had sold more than 100,000 copies.[2]
Author | Pip Williams |
---|---|
Cover artist | Lisa White |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Genre | novel |
Publisher | Affirm Press, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Publication date | 31 March 2020 |
Media type | Print (Paperback) |
Pages | 384 |
ISBN | 9781925972597 |
Esme's mother died giving her birth, so she is brought up by her father. She spends her childhood under the table in the Scriptorium, where James Murray and his team of lexicographers, including her father, are compiling the Oxford English Dictionary. Over time she discovers that words in common use, particularly those used by and about women, are not included.[3]
The list of characters includes Edith Thompson; in the novel, she is Esme's godmother and surrogate aunt.[4]
In reviewing the book for The Sydney Morning Herald, Jo Case says "In The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams combines the storytelling scale and intimate detail of a 19th-century novel with the sensibility of now – and a cast of richly realised characters and relationships that are a pleasure to spend time with".[3] A write-up in the Kirkus Reviews said that "The result is a satisfying amalgam of truth and historical fiction".[5] Other reviewers discussed the novel's elevation of language, with Book Reporter referring to it as "the novel [word lovers and linguists] have been waiting for without even realizing it"[6] and Booklover Book Reviews saying it "reminds us of the power of words, to harm and control, but also to bridge gaps, to empower and to bring about change for the better".[7]
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Australian Book Industry Awards | General fiction book of the year | Won | [15] |
Indie Book Awards | Book of the Year and Debut Fiction | Won | [16] | |
MUD Literary Prize | (best debut novel) | Won | [17] | |
NSW Premier's Literary Awards | Christina Stead Prize for Fiction | Shortlisted | [18] | |
NSW Premier's Literary Awards | People's Choice Award | Won | [19][20] | |
Walter Scott Prize | Shortlisted | [21][22] |
In addition to being published in standard formats (paperback, ebook, audio book), a dyslexic edition is available.[23] By March 2023 more than 260,000 copies of the printed book had been sold in Australia and New Zealand, and 400,000 in total with ebooks and audio. Print sales were just below 260,000 in the U.S., after Reese Witherspoon had selected it for her book club. It is also published in another 30 territories.[24]
Pip Williams was born in London, England, before migrating to Sydney, New South Wales, where she grew up. As of 2023[update] she lives in the Adelaide Hills.[25]
Williams' second novel is The Bookbinder of Jericho.[25] Also set in Oxford, during the First World War, the story centres on two sisters who work at a book bindery. Several characters from The Dictionary of Lost Words also appear in The Bookbinder of Jericho.[24]