2025 Booker Prize Shortlist Predictions

The time has come for our shortlist predictions. We’ve spent the last few months reading all the longlist books and rating the nominees. Keep reading to see which books topped our collective list and what panelists picked as their personal predictions.

Each year the panel reviews books and scores them on the following categories: writing, plot development, character development, originality, and enjoyment. Of course ratings are highly subjective and often influenced by which books we liked the most. This year the following 6 books were our top rated books.

Collective rankings:
1. Endling: 18.8
2. Seascraper: 18.25
3. Audition: 17.88
4. The loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: 17.75
5. The Land in Winter: 15.67
6. Universality: 14.5
7. Flesh: 14.4
8. The South: 14.25
9. Flashlight: 14.2
10. One Boat: 13
11. Misinterpretation: 11.75
12. The Rest of Our Lives: 10.75
13. Love forms: 10.5

My (Jen) Predictions: I’m struggling to make predictions this year since several of the books blend together. To me it seems like the judges do have a type of style they like. With a few exceptions, the nominees are slow paced, slow burning books that evoke a strong sense of setting and place. Several of the books include themes involving the intersection of time, memory, and generational perspectives. And multiple books explore masculinity and the male experience (e.g., men who are navigating growth, mid-life crises, feelings of alienation. These are the books I think will make the list this year and they don’t reflect my personal favorites. I loved seascraper so I hope I’m wrong and that ends up making it.

• Endling
• Audition
• The loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
• Flesh
• The South
• Universality

Tracy’s Predictions: Every year I seem to love books that the judges didn’t, and vice versa. This year seems to be the year of the guy, and I have struggled to relate to a lot of the characters in the books. But the books I loved, I loved. And I hope they get picked.

• Audition
• Flashlight
• Endling
• Seascraper
• Misinterpretation
• Flesh (out of protest)
  

Nicole’s Predictions: It was a difficult year to pick a short list, there were so many non-Bookery books so I picked the most Booker seeming of the bunch (even though I haven’t even looked at the Desai). The only one I feel confident about is Audition because I DNF it and disliked it so much.

• Audition
• Seascraper
• The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
• One Boat
• Flesh
• The Land in Winter

Lisa’s predictions: I am choosing some of the books where location and atmosphere is a big factor. That seems to be a common theme this year. I also chose Flesh because none of us liked it. My favorite by far is Endling.

• Endling
• Flesh
• Seascraper
• The land in winter
• The South
• The loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

Anita’s predictions: I am torn between listing my favorites and listing what I think this particular set of judges is going to elevate. I’m going with the judges. I have read 11 1/2 of the books and the only one I will be disappointed to see on the short list is Love Forms. I don’t think Misinterpretation belongs there either, but I could get my mind around it. The rest, honestly, I enjoyed at least on some level. I put a note showing my personal rankings.

• Audition (1st)
• Flashlight (10th)
• Universality (3rd)
• Seascraper (6th)
• The Land in Winter (not finished, but pretty sure 2nd)
• Endling (4th)

We want to hear from you. Who do you think has the best prediction list and why? Which books do you think will make the shortlist?