The Booker Prize Foundation has unveiled this year’s shortlist, featuring novels across a spectrum of genres ranging from historical fiction and campus novel to dystopian fiction. Familiar names like Marlon James and Douglas Stuart have returned with their latest works, The Disappearers and John of John, respectively. Elizabeth Strout also makes a repeat appearance as a finalist with her novel, The Things We Never Say.

Mary Beard, chair of the 2025 judging panel, commented on the selection, stating, “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. This is writing at its best.”

The six shortlisted authors receive a specially bound copy of their book and a £2,500 prize (approximately $3,300). The winner will be announced on November 9 and will receive a trophy along with £50,000 (around $66,600).

This Year’s Booker Shortlist

• The End of Everything by M. John Harrison
  Renowned for his work in science fiction, Harrison’s novel presents a post-apocalyptic setting where the protagonist finds unusual treasures washed ashore along the English Channel.
• The Disappearers by Marlon James
  James, a previous Booker winner for A Brief History of Seven Killings, offers a narrative about a violent attack on a group of gay men in Jamaica in 1988, during a time of significant homophobia.
• Black Bag by Luke Kennard
  As a poet and novelist, Kennard explores the “mere-exposure effect” through a story about a hidden observer in a classroom experiment based on a 1967 concept.
• May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
  In her debut novel, Perry, a poet, tells the tale of a reluctant king, reexamined through the perspective of a curator looking into his life and legacy.
• The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
  Strout, a previous finalist, delivers another captivating narrative. NPR critic Maureen Corrigan praises her consistent ability to craft captivating stories.
• John of John by Douglas Stuart
  Stuart, who won the Booker in 2020 for Shuggie Bain, explores the complex relationship between a father and son, entwined with secrets and influenced by religion and place.