This year’s Booker prize longlist looks in new directions

Former winner Kiran Desai leads a varied field, while Alan Hollinghurst misses out• Most global Booker prize longlist in a decade features Kiran Desai and Tash AwThis year’s Booker judges had a crowded field to pick from, with scores of eligible books from previously nominated writers and five new novels from winners alone (John Banville, Kiran Desai, Alan Hollinghurst, Ian McEwan and Ben Okri). Of these, Hollinghurst is one eyebrow-raising exclusion, for his elegiac and beautifully composed panorama of gay life in Britain over the past seven decades, Our Evenings. But it’s no surprise that the list is headed by Desai’s epic The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, a novel in the works since her Booker win two decades ago and due out this September.Clocking in at nearly 700 pages, this is a love story about two people pulled between India and the US, family inheritance and personal ambition, intimacy and solitude. Immersive and gently funny, her vast canvas painted with an exquisitely fine brush, it looks like a leading contender on a canon-building list – nine of the authors are making their first Booker appearance. There is an emphasis on family stories; sometimes intimate and direct, as in Claire Adam’s account of a woman forced to give up her baby as a teenager, Love Forms, or Ben Markovits’s rueful study of a father contemplating life once the kids have left home, The Rest of Our Lives, but more often as a lens through which to examine the forces of history.To explore all the books on the longlist for the Booker prize 2025 visit guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Sharon Osbourne emotional as family look at Ozzy Osbourne tributes in Birmingham

Evening Standard

Comments

Culture

Sharon Osbourne emotional as family look at Ozzy Osbourne tributes in Birmingham

South Park: when and where can I watch the latest episodes in the UK?

7 of the best horror films of 2025 so far including ‘stomach-churning’ body horror

Liam Neeson’s Naked Gun reboot is a masterclass in buffoonery

Sharon Osbourne lays flowers at Ozzy memorial ahead of husband’s funeral

Why we may never find out who gets Gene Hackman’s $80m fortune

Netflix fans ‘genuinely confused’ after period drama reboot makes baffling change

Sharon Osbourne emotional as family look at Ozzy Osbourne tributes in Birmingham

Desire and drones: new performance art show in Mayfair explores tech eroticism

First look at Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel in 'ferociously sexy' new play Born With Teeth

Nostalgic film sequel breaks records on Netflix with 46,700,000 views

British contender to play James Bond insists he ‘wouldn’t be good at it’

Julia Roberts’ My Best Friend’s Wedding ‘getting sequel’ after 28 years

Guillermo del Toro praises ‘perfect’ Jacob Elordi for replacing Andrew Garfield in Netflix’s Frankenstein

Gazer: The psychological drama that’s a cult hit-in-waiting

Paul Mario Day death: Original Iron Maiden vocalist dies, aged 69

TV fans are already calling Emma Thompson’s transformative thriller a ‘banger’

Sex and the City star reveals ‘mortifying’ moment older man was told to grab her behind

Supernatural thriller fans insist ‘give it a chance’ after BBC drops 16 episodes

Ozzy Osbourne fans gather in Birmingham to honour star who was ‘like family’

Gwyneth biography review: A searing portrait of privilege skewers Hollywood's former golden girl

Rob Schneider shares whether he’s tired of repeating his catchphrase in Adam Sandler movies

Doja Cat mocks Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle ‘good jeans’ advert in parody video

Ozzy Osbourne wanted his funeral to be ‘celebration, not a mope-fest’

Who is Sid Wilson? Kelly Osbourne’s rock star fiance who proposed at final Black Sabbath show

Ebon Moss-Bachrach says he would ‘throw fascists into space’ if he was given Fantastic Four powers

Trump gropes Satan’s leg in new South Park trailer after creators issue ironic apology

Jeremy Renner teases return to MCU as Hawkeye: ‘My body’s getting ready’

TV series that’s ‘better than Line of Duty’ makes gutting announcement

YouTube overtakes major networks to become second most-watched home service in UK

Joanna Lumley says she’s ‘had no career’ and has been acting to ‘pay the rent’

Former late night host says Stephen Colbert cancellation was a ‘no-brainer’

Bonnie Blue’s graphic Channel 4 documentary branded ‘disturbing’ by viewers

‘Best crime thriller of 2025’ gets season 2 on Netflix after 26,100,000 views

RuPaul’s Drag Race star rushed to hospital after ‘homophobic’ attack at Tesco

Oasis reunion 2025: What do we know about the setlist?

Alien: Earth TV series captures aesthetic of original film, says producer

Ozzy Osbourne funeral latest: Black Sabbath icon to be laid to rest after procession through Birmingham

Ozzy Osbourne wanted his funeral to be ‘celebration, not a mope-fest’

Ozzy Osbourne funeral: Where is it, what time, who’s going and how to watch

The 19 most hated film and TV characters ever, ranked

Booker Prize announces ‘wonderful’ longlist of 13 books that left judges ‘elated’

New Naked Gun movie called a ‘small miracle’ that’ll ‘bring the whole house down’

Forget U2 – Irish musicians from CMAT to Kneecap are more political than ever

Christopher Nolan urged to suspend filming The Odyssey in occupied Western Sahara

Diddy asks judge to release him on $50m bond as he awaits sentencing

Ozzy Osbourne's home city set to say final goodbye

Princess Kate highlights the power of ‘historic objects’ as new exhibition opens

Dean Cain lauds ‘wonderful’ Trump and reveals A-list actor he wants as next Superman

Inside Cat Deeley and Patrick Kielty’s relationship as they announce split

Does Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle 'great jeans' campaign mark a shift for ads?

‘Critical’ Is a Powerful and Unflinching Hospital Docuseries

Dan Snow is terrifyingly enthusiastic on Pompeii: Life in the City

Urgent warning to Lollapalooza ticket holders ahead of music festival

Brooke Hogan breaks silence on estranged father Hulk’s death

The NYC shooter said his brain was damaged by football. Here’s what we know about CTE.

Dali painting bought for £150 could fetch £30k

Bonnie Blue says she and Andrew Tate are ‘the two most misunderstood people out there’

'Buckingham Nicks,' a commercial flop-turned-collector's dream, will be reissued

Will the Kennedy Center become the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts?