The 2025 Booker Prize shortlist showcases a variety of narratives that span multiple genres, including historical fiction, campus novels, and dystopian stories. Repeat Booker Prize winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart appear again on the shortlist with their latest works. Marlon James’ book, The Disappearers, and Douglas Stuart’s John of John are among the contenders this year. Elizabeth Strout also returns as a finalist with her novel The Things We Never Say.
Mary Beard, chair of the 2025 judging panel, described the selection as covering a broad emotional spectrum. “These novels range from the hilarious to the discomfiting, from the frighteningly strange to the alarmingly domestic, from the powerfully shocking to the intriguingly understated,” she stated. “This is writing at its best.”
The shortlisted authors each receive a special bound copy of their work and a £2,500 prize, roughly $3,300. The winner, to be announced on November 9, is awarded a trophy and £50,000, about $66,600.
The End of Everything by M. John Harrison
M. John Harrison is known for his contributions to science fiction. The End of Everything is his 13th novel, exploring a post-apocalyptic world. The main character collects and sells objects washed ashore on the English Channel, until an unusual find changes everything.
The Disappearers by Marlon James
Marlon James, who won the Booker Prize in 2015 for A Brief History of Seven Killings, returns to the shortlist with The Disappearers. The novel, also longlisted for the National Book Award, portrays a mob attack on a group of gay men during the homophobic climate of Kingston, Jamaica in 1988. James recounted to NPR that the attack in the story is based on an incident he felt certain had occurred.
Black Bag by Luke Kennard
Luke Kennard, both a poet and novelist, contributes Black Bag to the list. The book’s narrator hides within the titular black bag in the back of a professor’s classroom, inspired by a real experiment from 1967 regarding the “mere-exposure effect”. This term describes the phenomenon where repeated exposure to something gradually fosters fondness, despite initial dislike.
May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
Rebecca Perry’s debut novel, May We Feed the King, tells the story of a reluctant king as seen through a curator’s perspective. The The Guardian praised it as “an ingenious novel that asks how much we can really know about history.”
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout, previously shortlisted in 2022 and longlisted in 2016, presents The Things We Never Say. According to NPR critic Maureen Corrigan, “Talk about enchantment. Every time Elizabeth Strout brings out a new novel—which is often—I think to myself: She can’t pull off another great book again. And then she does.”
John of John by Douglas Stuart
Douglas Stuart, who won in 2020 for his debut novel Shuggie Bain, returns with John of John. His latest work examines the shared secret between a father and son, and explores the intricate role of religion and place in their lives. Stuart shared with Fresh Air that his childhood involved many secrets across various levels.