A Room Above a Shop named Hay Festival Book of the Year 2025

Stephen Price

A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland has been named Hay Festival Book of the Year 2025 after hundreds of book lovers nominated their favourite titles of the year online.

A tender and resonant love story, the novel unfolds in south Wales against the backdrop of Section 28, the age of consent debate and the HIV and AIDS crisis, as two quiet men form a tentative connection neither knows where it might lead.

The latest accolade follows the announcement that A Room Above a Shop is also this year's Waterstones Welsh Book of the Year 2025, and the publication of the novel’s Welsh language adaptation, Lan Stâr, translated by Esyllt Angharad Lewis in dialogue with the author, which was published in September.

Anthony Shapland grew up in Bargoed, and now lives in Cardiff. He is a writer and artist, and founder of g39, an artist-led space in Cardiff. His short story Foolscap was shortlisted for the Rhys Davies Award, and he was selected for the Hay Festival Writers at Work programme in 2023. This is his debut novel.

Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch said: “At the end of each year, we ask our audience to tell us about the books they couldn’t put down.

"The resulting submissions are a varied and engaging snapshot of the year’s most impactful fiction, non-fiction and poetry. A Room Above a Shop was one of the most talked about books at Hay Festival 2025 – a love story that shines light on one of Wales’ hidden histories from an immensely talented storyteller. We are delighted to celebrate it as our Book of the Year. M and B will stay with you long after you turn the final page.”

Anthony Shapland said: “It has been a year of surprises, and this is no exception.

“I’m so delighted that A Room Above a Shop has been selected as Hay Festival Book of the Year 2025, joining such an amazing list – I have much to be grateful for. Naivety has probably been a good thing – I didn’t know what was ahead.”

“Hay Festival is where things really started for me. Nervous and keen, along with peers on the Hay Festival Writers at Work scheme in 2023 I first met my agent, Cathryn Summerhayes. Then I was privileged to work with Granta and, in the summer just gone I sat on the Hay Festival Debut Discoveries stage with Cynan Jones. I have had a lot of support and I am truly humbled.

“And all the while, a few hills away, thirty miles or so South, a story shaped itself – M and B sat on top of a different Gelli, high above their room above a shop.”

Past winners of the Hay Festival Book of the Year have been Chloe Dalton’s Raising Hare last year, Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead (2023), Bonnie Garmus’ Lessons in Chemistry (2022), Deborah Levy’s Real Estate (2021), Dara McAnulty’s Diary of a Young Naturalist (2020), Hallie Rubenhold’s The Five (2019), Sarah-Jayne Blakemore’s Inventing Ourselves (2018) and Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane’s The Lost Words (2017).

Nation Cymru’s review of this most deserved winner summed up: “This is a book of deep importance to Wales’ hidden histories, most of which we will never know, we will never bring back, and a glimpse at a world – a thrill and a hurting – so few will ever understand first hand.”

Read Nation Cymru’s review here.

Purchase A Room Above a Shop and its Welsh translation, Lan Stâr, translated by Esyllt Angharad Lewis, from all good book shops.

Keep up to date with Hay Festival news by signing up to the newsletter or follow on:
Facebook: hayfestival / hayfestivalesp
Instagram: @hayfestival / @hayfestival_esp
TikTok: @hayfestival / @hayfestival_esp
YouTube: @hayfestival / @hayfestival_esp
LinkedIn: Hay Festival

Sessions in Spanish and English can be enjoyed anywhere in the world on Hay Festival Anytime, offering the world’s greatest writers on film and audio for £20/€20 per year. And audiences can enjoy free monthly Book Club events online at hayfestival.org/book-club.