I've read the full Booker Prize shortlist 2026 – this is my winning book

The winner of the 2026 Booker Prize will be announced this evening during the ceremony at London’s Old Billingsgate, chaired by head judge Mary Beard. Read MoreThe shortlist, whittled down from the Booker Dozen, includes past winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, alongside previous shortlistee Elizabeth Strout. British authors, including science fiction maestro M. John Harrison, dominate the list, which also includes two debut novelists, Luke Kennard and Rebecca Perry. The six titles transport readers around the world and throughout history, from Medieval England to 1990’s Isle of Harris, contemporary Maine and 1980’s Jamaica. And like many other book lovers, I’ve been working my way through the shortlist. All six novels are entirely different, but connected through masculinity in crisis. In The Things We Never Say, Artie is a high school history teacher struggling with loneliness and isolation as the US hurtles towards another Trump presidency, while in Black Bag, a struggling, self-deprecating actor finds solace in hiding behind a leather sack in the name of an acting gig. The shortlisted authors at the Booker Prize 2026 reading AFP/GettyMay We Feed The King transports us to a Medieval court where a reluctant king’s inaction is at odds with the era’s hyper-masculine expectations, while The End of Everything sees men stripped of their economic, paternal and institutional power in the wake of societal collapse. The Disappearers paints a harrowing portrait of homophobia in 1980’s Jamaica and gay men’s alienation, while John of John explores a father and son relationship where both are keeping secrets from one another. It’s these two epic, sweeping novels that lead the Booker Prize predictions for 2026. Anyone who’s read all six books will struggle to name a winner – all are thoroughly deserving. Black Bag made me laugh out loud with its masterclass in writing surrealist comedy, while The Things We Never Say is Strout at her emotional, observational best (the esteemed author is long overdue Booker recognition). The Things We Never Say is a tear-jerker, while Black Bag will make you laugh out loud Daisy Lester/The StandardThe Disappearers is undoubtedly the most important, prescient book on the list. James is known for his violent stories – he won the Booker in 2015 for A Brief History of Seven Killings – and his latest is no exception. The graphic descriptions of mob violence will make you wince, but you can’t and shouldn’t look away. Over two decades, the novel follows the victims of a homophobic attack on their theatre troupe as they try to move on and survive in a society that wants them dead. With homophobia still illegal in Jamaica, it’s an eye-opening, brutal read that will long stay with me. While ‘hard’ books are no less rewarding than an ‘easier’ novel, I’d likely not reread The Disappearers – but I’d pick up John of John again in a heartbeat. A future classic that combines tough themes with humour and brevity, the novel is my winner of the Booker Prize 2026. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the ceremony – and where to read each shortlisted book. Booker Prize 2026 shortlist 'John of John' by Douglas Stuart, published by PicadorAmazonDouglas Stuart won the Booker Prize in 2020 with Shuggie Bain, but that doesn’t rule out a second win. John of John is the Scottish author’s best yet, exploring his signature themes of masculinity, working-class Scottish life and family relationships; this time on the Isle of Harris. The novel begins with 22-year-old art graduate John-Callum returning home to the isolated fishing, weaving and crofting community. With his dyed red hair, ‘strange clothes’ and artistic leanings, Cal is an affront to his father John, a devout Protestant, sheep farmer and a deacon in the Presbyterian church.John is reluctantly living with his sharp-tongued Glaswegian mother-in-law, Ella (a delightful character), and is deeply troubled by his son’s free expression. Little does Callum know, his father is hiding a secret of his own. An intimate portrait of a close-knit community in the rugged Outer Hebrides, John of John explores the tension between duty and religion, and desire and love. 'The Disappearers' by Marlon James, published by Hamish HamiltonAmazonThis is a sucker-punch of a novel. An epic of more than 600 pages, it took me longer to get through than my usual reading pace. The topic is heavy and the story is heartbreaking – I picked it up between other books for relief. But oh, am I happy I finished it – and its characters won’t leave readers easily. The Disappearers returns to the same real-world setting of unstable 1980’s Jamaica, as reimagined in James’ previous Booker Prize-winning novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings. The book focuses on eight gay men targeted in a brutal mob attack during a play rehearsal in late eighties Kingston. Over two decades, it traces the victims as one seeks revenge, others to forget and some to entirely disappear. The novel is as graphic about violence – the attack itself is narrated by the attackers, giving the reader a warped sense of the event – as it is about sex. James paints a profoundly disturbing portrait of Jamaica in this era, where sexuality could be a death sentence, and disappearing could be salvation. The masterful writing picks up different narratives, from one character's experience as a black, gay student at a British university in the 1950’s to a young man’s disownment from his family. A more than deserving recipient of the Booker Prize, it’s the favourite to win. 'The Things We Never Say' by Elizabeth Strout, published by VikingAmazonThe American author Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel, The Things We Never Say, introduces us to a new character in the esteemed author's Massachusetts multiverse. Set in an unnamed coastal town during the 2024 presidential election, Artie Dam is a high school history teacher who is grappling with middle-aged ennui. Then, a brush with death and the unearthing of a decade-long secret change everything. Forced to reevaluate everything he’s ever known, Artie gains a new, powerful perspective that makes the reader reassess their own life in the process. The father-son relationship is particularly touching, while Strout’s political commentary on Trump America gives the small but mighty book extra weight.'The End of Everything' by M. John Harrison, published by Serpent's Tail AmazonThe End of Everything by M. John Harrison follows beachcomber Phillip Tennent and his artist aunt Marnie. Both reside in a post-catastrophe coastal English town. A biological discovery forces them to venture inland, where an alien-like enemy known as the iGhetti is at war with a fractured Europe. Deliberately discombobulating the reader, Harrison’s jumpy, fractured narrative mirrors the civilisation in collapse – only such an acclaimed sci-fi author could pull it off. The iGhetti is a mysterious, inexplicable creature to both us and the characters. Is it a fallout from the internet, or from outer space? What we do know is how it can warp perceptions in its wake, leaving spaces where human logic breaks down, and memories loop repeatedly with subtle errors. The author is 81 years old and could go on to become the oldest winner in the prize’s history. ‘May We Feed the King’ by Rebecca Perry, published by Granta AmazonA historical novel that jumps between the present day and a medieval village, May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry follows a modern museum curator and a past monarch. As the curator works on a reconstruction of the king’s private chambers, she becomes increasingly obsessed with his story, filling in the gaps with her own imagination. Transporting us to the king’s day, Perry explores how the monarch struggles to shoulder the burden of unexpected power. His reluctance to act in the face of colonial conquests, war and the punishment of civilians sits uneasily alongside the court’s hyper-masculine expectations of leadership. Perry contrasts his perceived femininity with the influence of the powerful women surrounding him, raising questions about whose version of history we choose to believe – and how much of the past has been shaped by those who tell its story.'Black Bag' by Luke Kennard, published by John MurrayAmazonA campus comedy with a surrealist edge, poet Luke Kennard’s fiction debut Black Bag draws inspiration from a real 1960s experiment. The novel follows an out-of-work actor who accepts solid, steady work in a psychological experiment, conducted by the unreadable Dr Blend. The job? They’ll be zipped into an oversized leather bag to sit in the back of a lecture hall and seminar room during the autumn term. Kennard’s comedy chops are masterful – every page has a laugh-out-loud line. But it’s not fluff; the book sardonically tackles themes including masculinity, identity and the internet, while being an old-fashioned page-turner. This gave me comic relief while reading The Disappearers, proving the sheer breadth of this year’s shortlist. Booker Prize 2026 longlist 'The Shadow of the Object' by Chloe Aridjis, published by Chatto & Windus AmazonExploring magic and mortality, with praise from Zadie Smith and Deborah Levy, The Shadow of the Object follows Flora on a visit home to Mexico, where the family dog bites her hand. In hospital, she engages in a series of dream-like conversations with an elderly German patient, which continues to alter her perception of reality when back in London. 'Switzy' by Emma Cline, published by Chatto & WindusAmazonEmma Cline’s new novel Switzy tackles a difficult subject with complexity and beautiful prose. It follows an ageing man’s final journey to a clinic in Zurich, Switzerland. Travelling with notebooks to jog his degenerating mind, he stops over in London for a last supper with his estranged adult daughter and makes a pit stop in France for a reunion with an old friend, while fleeting memories of his life invade every moment. ‘Helen of Nowhere ' by Makenna Goodman, published by Fitzcarraldo EditionsAmazonHelen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman follows a disgraced literature professor known only to the reader as “man”. Disgusted by modern politics and feeling persecuted by his peers, he views a remote house with a realtor, intending to flee city life for the countryside. While learning about the mystical former owner, Helen, he grapples with his own romanticised ego, crumbling marriage and antiquated worldviews. 'The Renovation' by Kenan Orhan, published by Hamish HamiltonAmazonThe Renovation by Kenan Orhan explores a family’s experience with exile and Alzheimers. The surrealist, political debut follows Dilara, a Turkish exile living in Italy. Her bathroom renovation has been inexplicably modelled as a prison cell – and she’s an inmate. Forcing her to confront grief, memory and migration, she reflects on caring for her aging father and hypochondriact husband. ‘The Palm House’ by Gwendoline Riley, published by Picador Amazon A slender, sombre novel, The Palm House explores friendship and memory in Riley’s signature precise, understated prose. Narrated by Laura, a writer reflecting on difficult relationships and past trauma, the book captures how conversations and shared experiences shape identity. ‘All Them Dogs’ by Djamel White, published by John MurrayAmazonA gripping literary crime story set in Dublin’s violent underworld, All Them Dogs follows Tony Ward, who returns home after years in exile following a gangland killing. Exploring masculinity and sexuality with the pacing of a thriller, Djamel White is a new voice in Irish fiction. 'The Vivisectors’ by Missouri Williams, published by 4th Estate AmazonSet in a university city where political conflict is rife, The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams follows Agathe, a withdrawn graduate and assistant to a professor, whose life is disrupted when she is instructed to befriend a controversial student. Exploring institutional decay, power dynamics and personal trauma, it’s a philosophical read.