Newspaper clippings found in a Wiltshire school's archive have inspired this year's prize-winning book.

Alice Winn, a former Marlborough College student has been selected as this year’s winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2023.

Her novel, In Memoriam, tells the love story of two World War I soldiers – and the author claims she was inspired by newspaper clippings she found in her former Wiltshire school.

Alice originally grew up in Paris but was educated at Marlborough College, a private boarding school for 13 to 18-year-olds on the edge of the River Kennet.

After graduating with a degree in English Literature from Oxford University, the author moved to Brooklyn, where she now writes screenplays.

Although it was brief, Alice claims her teenage years in Wiltshire changed her career in ways she could never expect.

“In Memoriam was the book I wrote almost by accident,” explained Ms Winn.

“I was inspired by the student newspapers from my old school, and I wanted the novel to be a quick and hopeful read despite the bleak subject matter.

“I had decided to stop wasting my time writing unpublishable novels and this is a wholly joyful and unexpected result."

In Memoriam uses a focal love story as a way to think about the tragedies of war and the sanctuary that can be found in deep human connection.

It has been described by critics as “truly assured, classic storytelling for a contemporary reader” that is both “luminous and heartbreaking.”

“We are delighted to name Alice Winn the winner for the 2023 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, as voted for by Waterstones booksellers,” said Bea Carvalho, Head of Books and Campaigns at Waterstones.

“We were all blown away by Alice’s powerful and emotive storytelling, and intimate command of her epic historical canvas: it is a truly stunning feat of fiction which manages to be at once desperately heart-shattering and full of hope, and comfortingly classic yet daringly original.

“The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize aims to celebrate the future of fiction: it is in safe hands with new novelists like Alice Winn,” she added.

Voted for by Waterstones booksellers, the Debut Fiction Prize awards the winning author £5,000 and the promise of an ongoing commitment to the winner’s writing career.

Last year’s prize winner, Tess Gunty, was immediately propelled into the bestseller chart and went on to win both the 2022 National Book Award for Fiction and the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize.