Anne Enright has surprised critics by becoming the winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize.

Her novel, “The Gathering”, is a dark tale about one families struggle to come to terms with a suicide. Commenting on her book, Anne said : “When people pick up a book they may want something happy that will cheer them up,” … “In that case, they shouldn’t really pick up my book … it is the intellectual equivalent of a Hollywood weepie.”

The Bray based author received the €72,000 prize at a ceremony in London last night.

The Man Booker prize is awarded to the best work of fiction by an author from the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.