The winner of the Booker Prize 2026 will soon be revealed, with this year’s nominees including previous winner Douglas Stuart.
The Glasgow-born author won the prestigious literary award in 2020 for his debut novel Shuggie Bain, with his new Harris-set work John of John on this year’s six-book strong shortlist.
READ MORE: 'I've been writing this book since I was 18' - Shuggie Bain author Douglas Stuart on John of John
Another Booker Prize winner to be recognised is Marlon James, for his latest book The Disappearers. The Jamaican writer won the award in 2015 with A Brief History of Seven Killings, and he is among this year’s favourites.
Previously shortlisted author Elizabeth Stroud is also in the running for the 2026 Booker Prize, as are first time nominees Luke Kennard, M. John Harrison, and Rebecca Perry.
The winner of the award will be announced at a ceremony in London this evening (Monday, November 9).
Here are all of the Booker Prize 2026 nominees, what each book is about, and where you can purchase copies.
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9. Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman — Longlisted
“In the middle of the countryside, a realtor is showing a disgraced professor around an idyllic house. She speaks not only about the home’s many wonderful qualities but about its previous owner, the mystifying Helen, whose presence still seems to suffuse every fixture. Through hearing stories of Helen’s chosen way of living, the man begins to see that his story is not actually over – rather, he is being offered a chance to buy his way into the simple life, close to the land, that’s always been out of reach to him. But as evening fades into black, he will learn that the asking price may be much higher, and stranger, than anticipated. Philosophically and formally adventurous, at once intimate and cosmic in scope, Helen of Nowhere asks: what must we give up in exchange for true happiness?” | Fitzcarraldo Editions
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10. The Renovation by Kenan Orhan — Longlisted
“Dilara is having her bathroom renovated. Her father's memory has started collapsing, dementia stealing a little more of him each day; her apartment must be adapted so he can move in with her. But when the builders finally unveil their handiwork, there is a problem: instead of a new bathroom, they have built a prison cell. Not just any cell - one that Dilara recognises. It is a room from Silivri Prison in Istanbul. At first she is outraged, exasperated, determined to reverse the bizarre mistake. Dilara's family are political exiles: they fled Turkey years ago and have never been back. The last thing she wants is a piece of her abandoned homeland appearing uninvited in her new home. But gradually her indignation gives way to curiosity. Even as she struggles to care for her dying father, to stretch their dwindling savings and stop the wheels coming off her marriage, she is drawn back again and again to the mysterious prison cell, which seems to connect, impossibly, to a city that once belonged to her - to the salt wind off the Marmara, the sky full of gulls and domes and minarets - a portal back to Istanbul.” | Hamish Hamilton
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11. All Them Dogs by Djamel White — Longlisted
“Things are different since Tony Ward landed back in town. The West Dublin gangland has changed. His old mentor is dead, and his best pal Kenny Boyle is on the straight and narrow. After five years keeping quiet across the way, Tony is keen to reinstate himself, and when the opportunity arises to work side by side with Darren ‘Flute’ Walsh, a top enforcer of notorious crime boss Aengus Lavelle, it feels like a no brainer. Biting off more than he can chew has never bothered Tony Ward, but Flute Walsh is not the meek, quiet boy Tony remembers from school. Brooding, stoic, and unpredictably dangerous, Tony finds himself drawn to his new associate in more ways than one. With retribution from his past actions always close in the rear view, the protection offered by Flute’s standing in the gang is crucial. But how safe is Tony really, when a mutual attraction starts to complicate matters?” | John Murray
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12. The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley — Longlisted
“Laura and Putnam have been friends for a long time. Theirs is a happy meeting of minds, with long evenings spent huddled in an ancient pub by the Thames, where they share office gossip, reflect on their teenage passions, and lament the state of the world. Recently, though, Putnam has been harder to reach: he has lost his father, and the magazine to which he has dedicated his life has been hijacked by an insufferable new editor, Simon ‘call me Shove’ Halfpenny. Laura has her own problems: with a prickly mother and a tricky past, and in a beautiful and indifferent city, her day-to-day life is precarious. But as Putnam starts to sink into despondency, she must try to bring him back.” | Picador