STENTORIAN VOICES
Talk of the Town
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Predicting the Winner of
The Booker Prize 2025
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Najam-uddin Ahmad
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As it is decided by a panel of judges, therefore, itโs not quite possible to definitely prognosticate who will scoop the prize. However, Andrew Millerโs โThe Land in Winterโ is a strong favorite. But Kiran Desaiโs โThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunnyโ and Ben Markovitsโ โThe Rest of Our Livesโ are also considered as strong contenders.
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Since the announcement of shortlist predictions about the winner of the Booker Prize 2025 are a hot topic. The Booker Foundation has unveiled six brilliant novels written by six brilliant veteran writers. Each of the six shortlisted authors will receives ยฃ2,500, and โa specially bound edition of their book.โ The Foundation will announce the winner on Monday, Nov. 10, in a ceremony. The winner will receive ยฃ50,000. As it is decided by a panel of judges, therefore itโs not quite possible to definitely prognosticate who will scoop the prize.
Also, it has become more difficult after the statement of Roddy Doyle, Chair of the Prize 2025 judges: โThe six (shortlisted books) have two big things in common. Their authors are in total command of their own store of English, their own rhythm, their own expertise; they have each crafted a novel that no one else could have written.
โAnd all of the books, in six different and very fresh ways, find their stories in the examination of the individual trying to live with โ to love, to seek attention from, to cope with, to understand, to keep at bay, to tolerate, to escape from โ other people.โ
Shortlisted Authors and Books:
Moreover, the 2025 shortlist consists of three male and three female authors. Three writers, Susan Choi, Katie Kituamura, and Ben Markowitz, are on the shortlist for the first time. Whereas, Andrew Miller and David Szlay are on it for the second time.
Flashlight โ Susan Choi
Susan Choiโs sixth novel goes after her short story published in The New Yorker. The novel โFlashlightโ begins with a mysterious event of vanishing of 10 year old little girl Louisaโs ethnic Korean father, Serk, during a night walk on breakwater in Japan. The protagonist Louisa and her mother Anne return to America. Although, they try to move on from the trauma, but the grief and mystery continue to haunt them. Furthermore, the novel is narrated from the perspectives of multiple characters. And, major themes explored in the novel are history, war, memory, family and struggle of the immigrants. Also, it delves into impact of global conflicts on the individuals and a never escape from their past.
In her interview to the Foundation, she told, โIt was a combination of being haunted by childhood memories of a trip to Japan โ that was not catastrophic but was still very disruptive โ and by stories about the unexplained disappearances, in the late 1970s, of ordinary Japanese people, including a schoolgirl not much older than me.โ Simultaneously, she also said, โReading a great book feels like being dropped onto an alien planetโ.
Choi told NPR aboutย Flashlight: โI like the novel kind of wrote itself like a snail shell. It just kept spiraling outward in both directions.โ
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny โ Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai is winner of the Booker Prize 2006 for her tragicomic novel โThe Inheritance of Lossโ. Her shortlisted novel โThe Loneliness of Sonia and Sunnyโ is โA spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years โ an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernityโ. As she has spent about 20 years in writing this novel the Booker Prize Judges hailed: โa magical realist fable within a social novel within a love story.โ
As an aspiring novelist Sonia experiences loneliness during her college days in Vermont. An intimate artist cast a dark spell upon her, which haunt her continuously. Whereas, Sunny is a journalist, struggling with his motherโs expectations with a feeling of torn between two cultures. Therefore, the novel explores their isolation of living abroad and emotional distance within families in diverse ways. Moreover, it depicts a love story beyond a straightforward way. Also, it tells creation of art, pain of loneliness as strong urge for creativity, profound human needs to forge connections.
While, in her interview she said, โI wanted to write a present-day romance with an old-fashioned beautyโ. She add, โBut a love story in todayโs globalised world would likely wander in so many different directions.โ Furthermore, she told about her characters, โMy characters consider: Why this person? Why not as easily someone else? Why here, not there?โ And, โIn the past people were always where they had to be.โ
Audition โ Katie Kitamura
Audition is a novel about an unnamed narrator โ an actress โ who has a bizarre lunch with a young man who claims to be her son. The story is divided into two opposite and ambiguous narrations. One, where she denies the claim because of her past miscarriage, and the other, where that young man is her son. So, it is an abruptly shift in the narrative, presenting a competing reality. As the novel is an exploration of themes of identity, conception, and reality, therefore, it explores the โgap between how we are perceivedโฆ and who we really areโ. And, enigmas to decipher hidden behind metaphors and images, puzzling the reader. Hence, it delves into the performance of identity and explores peopleโs role in their relationships and realityโs kind of performance.ย
And, it challenges readerโs assumptions, suggesting multiple ways of interpretations of events with no clear answer to what is โrealโ. The Booker Judges rightly claimed, โAn exhilarating, destabilising novel that asks whether we ever really knows people we loveโ.
In her interview to NPR Katie Kitamura told that she got the idea forย Auditionย from a headline. She told,ย ย โThe headline said, a stranger told me he was my son.โ She further said, โI was completely captivated by the idea that in a single encounter, in a single moment, everything you understand about yourself and your place in the world could be overturned.โ
The Rest of Our Lives โ Ben Markovits
The novel is a story of an unforgettable road trip of a middle-aged professor. His marriage, career and body are failing him. When 55-year-old law Professor Tom Laywardโs wife had an affair, he resolved to leave her as soon as his youngest daughter turned 18. So, he embarks on an unplanned trip after dropping off her daughter at University. And, he keeps driving, with the vague plan of visiting various people from his past – an old college friend, his ex-girlfriend, his brother, his son – on route, maybe, to his fatherโs grave. Pitch perfect, quietly exhilarating and moving, The Rest of Our Lives is a novel about family, marriage and those moments which may come to define us.
In view of above, the novel explores complexities of long-term marriage, challenges of aging, empty nest syndrome, and self-reflection process. Additionally, a sub-plot of Tom Laywardโs continuous physical health, mirroring his emotional state is also involved. But he ignores them.
Therefore, The Booker judges commented on the former professional basketball player Ben Markovitsโ novel as a โremarkably satisfying road trip full of strangers, friends, and self-discovery.โ While in his interview Markovits said, โMy kids were getting older and I wanted to write something about a certain period of family life coming to an end.โ Also, he said, โItโs matter of fact, effortlessly warm, and it uses the smallest parts of human behaviour to uphold bigger themes, like mortality, sickness, and love.โ
The Land in Winter โ Andrew Miller
Andrew Millerโs third novel Oxygen was shortlisted in 2001. Hence, The Land in Winter is his second book shortlisted for the Prize, but 10th novel to his name. Since, novel narrates themes of life, death, failure, and liberation as the confronting and turning points of three major characters. First, Alec who has returned home to care for his dying mother with terminal cancer. Second, Alecโs brother, Larry, who faces a failing career and marriage. And third one is a Hungarian รฉmigrรฉ playwright, Laszlo.ย His memories of the 1956 Hungarian uprising haunt him. Eventually, these parallel narratives converge after unfolding the story. So, The Guardian noted, โThe novel is known for its profound and often poetic exploration of difficult topics like terminal illness.โ Moreover, it wrote further, โMiller turns to the difficulty of loving in an unlovely world.โ
โAn anecdote of my motherโs that rattled around in my head for many years. Also a wish to reach back to a period that was right at the furthest stretch of what I could in any way claim to remember. And to try to make a certain kind of novel – lots of flow and momentum, and full of narrative pleasures.โ he said in his interview. As well, he proclaimed, โIโll write anywhere, with anything, on anything.โ
Flesh โ David Szalay
Like Andrew Miller, Flesh is the second novel of David Szalay shortlisted for the Prize. Previously, his novel All That Man Is was shortlisted in 2016. ย
Locale of the novel is Hungary. As, it is story of a young man namely Istvรกn from his teen years into adulthood. Since it begins with protagonistโs isolation so he fells in clandestine relationship with her neighbor in her 40s, which consequently leads to hostility with her husband. Following the incident, Istvรกnโs life fells the victim of uncontrollable external forces. Consequently, his life becomes increasingly buffeted due to global economics. As Istvรกn moves through a series of upheavals in the financial world. He elevates himself from poverty to wealth and then, eventually, to economic decline. The novel explores themes of masculinity, sexual and power desires, and the feeling of being adrift in the 21st century. And, the forces of the global economy on an ordinary manโs life.
The novel has gained praised from the press like The Guardian,ย NPR, The New York Times, etc.
โI wanted to write about what itโs like to be a living body in the world,โ in his interview David Szalay told the Booker Foundation, โIt can be hard to identify the starting point of a novel.ย Fleshย sort of evolved into existence. I knew I wanted to write a book with a Hungarian end and an English end, since I was living very much between the two countries at the time and felt that that needed to be reflected in my choice of subject.โ
Now, here are the bookmakersโ odds for the favorite books:
Odds & Implied Probability
Book & Authorย ย Oddย Implied Probability
The Land in Winterย ย 2/1ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 33.3%
– Andrew Miller
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunnyย 5/2ย 8.6%
– Kiran Desai
The Rest of Our Livesย ย ย 5/1ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 16.7%
– Ben Markovits
Auditionย ย ย ย ย ย ย 6/1ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 14.3%
– Katie Kitamura
Book & Authorย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Oddย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Implied Probability
The Land in Winterย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 2/1ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 33.3%
– Andrew Miller
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunnyย ย ย ย 5/2ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 8.6%
– Kiran Desai
The Rest of Our Livesย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 5/1ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 16.7%
– Ben Markovits
Auditionย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 6/1ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 14.3%
– Katie Kitamura
Since, most of the six authors have more than five books to their names. And, itโs not possible to definitively predict the winner of the Booker Prize, as it is decided by a panel of judges. However, bookmakersโ odds and critical buzz suggest that Andrew Miller with The Land in Winter is a strong favorite, with Kiran Desai (The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny) and Ben Markovits (The Rest of Our Lives) also considered strong contenders. And finally, they suggest that Andrew Millerโs โThe Land in Winterโ is a strong favorite (2/1) to win the Booker Prize 2025, ahead of Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny (5/2).
But, what do you guess? Please, letโs know your views in the below comments section.
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Born on June 02, 1971, is an Urdu novelist and short story writer. He did his masters in English Literature from Islamia University, Bahawalpur in 1996.
Work:
So far, Najam-uddin Ahmad has published three novel: Mudfun (The Burials) in 2006, Khoj (The Explore) in 2016, and Saheem (The Partners) in 2019. Apart from this, he has published two collections of short stories: Aao Bhai Khelein (Brother, Letโs play) in 2013 and Fraar aur Doosray Afsanay (Flee and other short stories) in 2017. Furthermore, he has been working on his Urdu novel, Mena Jeet. And, a collection of Urdu Short Stories is also expected soon.
Translations:
Morever, Najam-uddin Ahmad is also renowned for his translations from English to Urdu. And, he has seven books of translations on his credit. As well, among other translations he has recently translated the famous Turk epic โThe Book of Dede Korkutโ into Urdu, published by the Pakistan Academy of Letters. Simultaneously, he has also translated a good number of Urdu short stories into English.
Awards:
- Writersโ Guild Award, 2013 for Aao Bhai Khelein (Brother, Letโs play)
- And, UBL Excellence Award, 2017 for translation work: Nobel Inamyafta Adeebon Ki Kahanian (Short stories by Nobel Laureates in Literature).
- Also, Qoumi Adabi Award (Hassan Askari Award), 2019 from Pakistan Academy of Letters for Fasana-e-Alam โ a collection of short stories by Nobel Laureates in Literature.
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