2025 Booker Longlist: Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga

Next up for our panel is the second of two debut novels that made the list this year. Four of our panelists read this book. So what did our panel think of the book?

Ledia Xhoga is a Tirana-born fiction writer and playwright now based in Brooklyn. Her debut novel Misinterpretation has already won a NYC Book Award, was a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and was named one of “Best of 2024”. She holds an MFA in fiction from Texas State University, and her short fiction has appeared in Electric Literature, LitHub, and Hobart. She also writes plays; hers have been workshopped or staged in theaters and festivals around New York and beyond.

Book Synopsis from Booker website: In present-day New York City, an Albanian interpreter reluctantly agrees to work with Alfred, a Kosovar torture survivor, during his therapy sessions. Despite her husband’s cautions, she soon becomes entangled in her clients’ struggles: Alfred’s nightmares stir up her own buried memories, and an impulsive attempt to help a Kurdish poet leads to a risky encounter and a reckless plan. 

As ill-fated decisions stack up, jeopardising the nameless narrator’s marriage and mental health, she takes a spontaneous trip to reunite with her mother in Albania, where her life in the United States is put into stark relief. When she returns to face the consequences of her actions, she must question what is real and what is not.

Tracy’s Thoughts: This was an interesting read. There is a theme this year: isolation, immigration; strangers in a strange land. In this instance, morally gray characters with good intentions try to make it in NYC. And the city is very much a part of the story. Descriptions are well done, and through them, emotions. It’s a bit different from other books in that respect.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Total: 16/20

Nicole’s Thoughts:  I’m sensing a theme. My thoughts on Endli— … I mean Fles— I mean, Misinterpretation … There’s no way not to compare this book to the other Eastern European immigrant stories I’ve read this Booker season. Endling gets better every time I read another book.

Yeah I mean, a book about a weird relationship, and strange decisions and not overly compelling. I actually think I liked Flesh better than this.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 3/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 11/20

Anita’s Thoughts:  This book frustrated me because I could see the potential in the writing, but in the end, it just was empty. It didn’t seem to embrace any overarching theme beyond bad decisions lead to bad outcomes. No kidding. The protagonist was not sympathetic and her decisions were incomprehensible. When I finished it, I literally thought I missed something so revisited the first third again. Alas, no.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 1/4
Overall enjoyment: 0/2
Total: 10/20

Jen’s Thoughts: This was an odd book and I’m not sure how to review it. I didn’t particularly enjoy it and found nothing special about the writing style. I found the narrator’s voice to be so detached that I struggled to stay connected to either the protagonist, any of the other characters or the plot. I found the concept around language and interpretation to be interesting but the execution fell short to me. I didn’t fully understand the connections between Albert’s traumas and the author’s emotional experiences and those parts really felt really flat for me. I did find the atmosphere and setting to be very vivid and the best part of the book. It’s possible (likely) that I missed out on a lot because I was rushing through it, and perhaps it merits another read but thus far it’s been my least favorite book on the longlist.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 3/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 1/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 10/20

Rankings
1. Endling: 18.8
2. Audition: 17.88
3. Universality: 14.5
4. Flesh: 14.4
5. The South: 14.25
6. Flashlight: 14.2
7. One Boat: 13
8. Misinterpretation: 11.75
9. Love forms: 10.5

Have you read it?  What do you think? Want to try it for yourself? You can purchase your copy here: Misinterpretation