Good old-fashioned literary fiction. If ever five words could sum up a shortlist, these are they. While the Booker Prize has tended to lean opaque, experimental, and dare I say pretentious in previous years, the 2025 shortlist feels like a return to something older and sturdier – grown-up stories with actual narrative heft. And given that the six books are all by seasoned novelists aged between 46 and 64, with not a debut in sight, it is also one that seems to reward maturity.

Having read them all, I’m convinced this is one of the best shortlists in years – though it was no mean feat to get through them. These books are, for the most part, pretty long. Last year, only one book was over 400 pages and the winner, Samantha Harvey’s space-set Orbital , was a slim 140. This year, we’re i

See Full Page