A Quick Tour of 2026 Booker Longlist – Each Book Described in 40 Words or less.

I SET MYSELF this task because, not only was it good practice (Kate Mosse says we ought to follow the example of musicians and practise writing in the same way they practise the scales), but also to celebrate my return from the 1990s. For nine long days I have been without the internet. Yes, I read more and wrote more during that time, but the unplanned interruption was an awkward, cumbersome drag on ordinary life. Now back online I can enjoy flitting from one wonderful website to the next and this is the result.

To be clear, I haven’t read any of these books. Yet. The details below are a summary of the information provided by at least two websites and any mistakes are mine. But the task has made me think about what I want to read and why. I’ve jotted down a few reflections at the end.

The Books (in more or less random order)

Things We Can Never Say by Elizabeth Strout, published by Viking
Set in Massachusetts during the 2024 presidential election, a history teacher uncovers a secret that that threatens to upend his entire world and the way he looks at those closest to him.

The Shadow of the Object by Chloe Aridjis, published by Chatto & Windus
Injured while on a holiday back to her home to Mexico, Flora has a series of perception-changing conversations with an elderly German female patient. Returning to London, she develops a strange friendship with Wilhelmina’s son.

Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions
A disgraced professor attempts to escape his problems by moving to the country. Learning about a previous owner of a house is transformative, but the asking price for an idyllic new home may be stranger than he anticipates.

John of John by Douglas Stuart, published by Picador
A young art graduate son comes into conflict with his Presbyterian father John, when he returns home to the Isle of Harris

Switzy by Emma Cline, published by Chatto & Windus
An old man’s final journey to an euthanasia clinic in Switzerland takes him through London, France and a ragbag of fleeting memories.

The End of Everything by M. John Harrison published by Serpent’s Tail
Living in a post-catastrophe coastal English town, beachcomber Phillip and his aunt are forced to move away from the sea and face an alien-like enemy.

The Disappearers by Marlon James, published by Hamish Hamilton
Set in 1980’s Jamaica, eight gay men are attacked a vicious mob and each of the survivors must find their own way of confronting the bigotry and homophobia that surrounds them.

Black Bag by Luke Kennard, published by John Murray
A comedy about a weird psychological experiment conducted by a university professor.

The Renovation by Kenan Orhan, published by Hamish Hamilton
A daughter is adapting her Italian home to accommodate her father who is suffering from Alzheimers, only to find that the builders have turned her bathroom into a Turkish prison cell that she and her family know only too well.

May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry, published by Granta
A historical split time novel that jumps between a present day museum curator and the medieval king she is researching.

The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley, published by Picador
Set in London, writer Laura reflects on supportive friendship, difficult parental relationships and past trauma.

All Them Dogs by Djamel White, published by John Murray
Tony is determined to re-establish himself in Dublin’s gangland after five years absence, but things and people have changed and his gay relationship may put him in jeopardy in a world of toxic masculinity.

The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams, published by 4th Estate
Set in an unnamed university town, Agathe, callous, cynical and withdrawn is obliged to befriend a controversial university student.

The Books I Will Read

Things We Can Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
John of John by Douglas Stuart

The choice was easy and, although very different books, it was made for the same reason: I have read both authors before and know I am in safe hands with these character-driven stories. It is true that nothing succeeds like success. Plus I visited the Isle of Mull a few months ago which isn’t that far from Harris, and I am keen to learn more about Scotland’s western isles.

The Book that Intrigues Me

The Shadow of the Object by Chloe Aridjis

I still retain fragments of morphine-powered dreams after a hospital stay last year and while they were less than profound (hurdling while covering a canvas with black paint), I want to discover how Chloe Aridjis uses this kind of experience as a springboard.

The Book that Tempts me

The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams,

Sounds weird in a good way. I think I really have to try it.

And the Book that Doesn’t

All Them Dogs by Djamel White

Dublin? Crime? What’s not to like? However, the phrase toxic masculinity did it for me, but I bet it’s a belter and will be on our TV screens pretty soon.

Have you read any of these yet? Are there any you can recommend?
Any you are planning to read any?

Picture credit: Fitzcarraldo Editions
As this is a pared-down list, I thought it was appropriate to select the book with the most pared down cover. Fitzcarraldo Editions always publishes their fiction with an international Klein blue cover with white lettering.