Booker 2024 Winner predictions

It’s time for our panel to pick our winner. Find out which book our panelists think will win the prize this year. The prize will be announced tomorrow (and thus the reason for why I pushed out the last three posts in the same day.

Nicole: I loved James – Everett is deserving, James is deserving. But it’s Stone Yard Devotional for me. not only did I think it is the best book I read this year, but it’s also time for an Australian and a woman to win. I mean, there has to be something that women can win, right?

Jen: After hating (or strongly disliking half the longlist this year), I felt like the judges picked a very solid group of 6 for the shortlist and I wouldn’t be disappointed to see any of them win. That said, far and away my favorite book of the year was James by Percival Everrett. Is it too American to take home the prize? I hope not. If James doesn’t take the prize, my bets are on Stone Yard Devotional.

Tracy: I’m okay with any of the books winning this year. I do believe that James is destined to be a classic. But an American classic, and because of that, I think another book will win. Before the long list was announced, I had started The Safekeep, and had fallen head over heels with the story. So The Safekeep it is.

Lisa: My favorites are Stone Yard Devotional, Creation Lake, and James. But, in the end, my pick is Stone Yard Devotional. The focus of the story is so simple — a woman going back to live in a monastery — and seemed like it could be boring. Yet, to my surprise, this book really captured me.

Anita: I’m team Stone Yard Devotional all the way. While it’s subtle, I feel like I could read it again and again, and I like that it’s both of our time and timeless. I think James is equally deserving, but I honestly would be surprised if the judges went that way. Like Jen, this year, I wouldn’t be disappointed (or like in other years just plain mad) if any of the books on the shortlist took the prize.

We want to hear from you. Which book do you think deserves to win the prize?