Curious about the Booker Prize 2024? Wondering if the shortlisted novels live up to the hype? In our latest episode Kate and Laura are joined by returning guests Phil, Sarah and Martin to dive deep into this year’s shortlist bringing you their usual frank, honest opinions in true book-club style.
This isn’t your typical review show — you get real, unfiltered thoughts from book lovers who tell it like it is. From literary brilliance to unexpected twists, find out which books wowed us, which ones left us wanting more, and whether this year’s Booker picks truly deserve the spotlight. Plus of course our guesses as to which one might win.
The Booker judges have worked hard to get through over 150 submitted books, to their longlist of 12 and their shortlist of six – at which point we come in, to read, discuss and debate them. It’s hard to think of another prize that so reliably throws up brilliant book club reads that might dazzle or exasperate, but always offer plenty of fuel for debate.
The Booker Prize is awarded annually for the ‘best sustained work of fiction written in English and published in the UK or Ireland’. Since the prize was opened up to authors outside the Commonwealth in 2015 the pool of eligible writers has grown leading to an interesting international shortlist this year. We’ve got The Safekeep by Dutch author Yael van der Wouden”, originally written in English, Held by Canadian Anne Michaels, Orbital by British author Samantha Harvey, James by American Percival Everett, Creation Lake by fellow American Rachel Kushner, and Stone Yard Devotional by Australian Charlotte Wood.
As ever, whether we loved them or loathed them we adore to discuss them. Listen in and join the conversation.
Listen via the media player above or in your preferred podcast player with this Podfollow link.
Notes on the Booker Prize 2024 episode
Check out Martin’s brilliant blog Eyes on the Prize for a fantastic look back through Booker winners past, including his ‘worst to best’ ranking.
Other books mentioned
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
The Trees by Percival Everett
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
My Friends by Hisham Matar
