Booker Prize-winning, long-listed novels you need to read

The Booker Prize is one of the most celebrated literary awards in the world, shining a light on the best novels written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.

The winner of this year’s Booker Prize will be revealed on 10 November. While we wait for this year’s winner, dive into these books that have won the prize in previous years, plus more books that made this year’s longlist.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Won the 1997 Booker Prize (literary fiction)

Arundhati Roy’s debut novel tells the story of fraternal twins, Rahel and Estha, growing up in Kerala, India, in the 1960s, until their reunion as adults in 1993. The novel explores the complexities of their family dynamics, particularly the relationship between their mother, Ammu, and the family’s “Untouchable” handyman, Velutha.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Won the 2002 Booker Prize (fantasy and adventure fiction)

Life of Pi is the story of Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry who was stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. In the novel, Pi recounted his experiences, detailing the challenges he faced in surviving alongside the dangerous animals on the lifeboat.

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Won the 2012 Booker Prize (historical fiction)

This novel is the second part of a trilogy set in Tudor-era England. It continues the story of Thomas Cromwell, a powerful advisor to Henry VIII, as he navigates the treacherous world of Tudor court politics. Bring Up the Bodies centers around the downfall of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife, and Cromwell’s complex role in her execution.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Won the 2019 Booker Prize (literary fiction)

Set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, the novel takes place in the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian, patriarchal society that has overthrown the United States government. The novel is narrated through the voices of three women: Aunt Lydia, who has since become a high-ranking official in Gilead; Agnes Jemima, a young woman who is being groomed to become an Aunt; and Daisy, a young woman in Canada who discovers her connection to Gilead.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Won the 2022 Booker Prize (fantasy/history/political satire)

The novel tells the story of Maali Almeida, a dead Sri Lankan photographer who wakes up in the space between the world of the living and the afterlife. He was given seven days (“seven moons”) to complete his unfinished business, including solving his own murder and exposing the violence and brutalities of the Sri Lankan Civil War.

One Boat by Jonathan Buckley

Longlisted in the 2025 Booker Prize; published 13 March 2025

One Boat is the story of Teresa, who, after losing her father, returns to a small Greek coastal town where she had grieved her mother nine years earlier. She reconnects with familiar faces, including Petros, a mechanic; Niko, a diving instructor; and Xanthe, a waitress. Through conversations with these characters, Teresa reflects on her emotions, longings and sense

of identity.