Grace Williams Says it Loud

On her first day at the Briar Mental Institute, eleven-year-old Grace meets Daniel, an epileptic who can type with his feet. He sees a different Grace: someone to share secrets and canoodle with, someone to fight for. Daniel fills Grace's head with tales from Paris and the world beyond. This is Grace's story: her life, its betrayals and triumphs, disappointment and loss, the taste of freedom; roses, music and tiny scraps of paper. Most of all, it is about the love of a lifetime.

Prize history

• Women's Prize for Fiction 2011 Shortlist