The Booker Prize winner for 2025 has just been announced, with the judges describing the winning novel, David Szalay’s Flesh, as “a very special book”. This year’s eclectic judging panel includes Sex and the City actor Sarah Jessica Parker, Booker Prize-longlisted novelist Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, literary critic Chris Power and Booker Prize-longlisted author Kiley Reid, with Irish novelist and dramatist Roddy Doyle chairing the panel.
Unlike previous years, the six shortlisted novels are all penned by established authors, from previous winner Kiran Desai to twice-nominated Andrew Miller. The shortlist is filled out by Susan Choi, Katie Kitamura and Ben Markovits – but my personal favourite came from Szalay.
