The 2025 Booker Prize longlist! You can watch me discuss the 13 novels nominated for this year's award here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2puxNstNe8
I'm chuffed I guessed 5 correctly (more than most years!) I'm thrilled to see Aw's family epic/gay romance/coming of age tale “The South” and Szalay's disarmingly moving account of a man's life “Flesh” here. “The Land in Winter” is an excellent, atmospheric story which also recently won a historical fiction award. And “Audition” is the sort of novel I immediately wanted to discuss with other readers – I read it with my online book club recently and there were so many competing points of view and theories about its tricksy story.
This group of books includes several established authors and former Booker nominees (including former winner Kiran Desai.) “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny” is also the only one which isn't currently published in the UK (it's due to come out Sept 25.) There are only a few I've not heard much about and two debut novels. It'll be quite striking if Natasha Brown wins the award for “Universality” as she was recently named as the chair of judges for the 2026 International Booker Prize! The stories on this longlist span the globe including Malaysia, Hungary, rural England, Greece, India, Trinidad, Japan, Ukraine, North Korean, and America... but surprisingly NOT Ireland despite Roddy Doyle chairing this judging panel.
I've read books by Claire Adam and Benjamin Wood before so I'm really looking forward to diving into their new novels. I've also heard great things about “Endling” and “Misinterpretation”. I've seen many more mixed reviews for “One Boat”, “ Flashlight” and “The Rest of Our Lives” but I'm eager to give them a try. I was a bit disappointed by “Universality” but I know I'm in the minority with that opinion and I'll try rereading it. I've started Desai's doorstopper and I am in! I love a story that begins with a family tree. If you fancy reading some of these titles together have a look at my online bookclub as we're voting for which we'd like to read as a group in August and September.
What do you think of the list? Any favourites you've read? Any you're really looking forward to reading next? Any novels you're disappointed not to see here? I really wish “The Book of Records”, “Days of Light” and “Our Evenings” were nominated as I think they are astounding books of fiction and I'd really encourage everyone to still read them. The shortlist for this year's award will be announced on Sept 23 and the winner on Nov 10. Booker season has begun – officially!
