Check These 8 Booker-prized Novels for your TBR

Hearing our insatiable hunger for life-changing books, The Booker Prize shares a selection of timeless and compelling novels worth adding to your to-be-read list.

Words Marc Nathaniel Servo
Photos courtesy of  Fully Booked
October 30, 2025

As book lovers, we all long for books that can change our lives, whether through life-changing quotes or perspectives that challenge the reality we belong to. It is in such soul-searching that every to-be-read list grows into a mountain: a treasure trove that only God knows if we will ever conquer.

As one of the most celebrated literary awards in the world, the Booker Prize is more than just an awards ceremony—it shines a light on the best novels written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland, launching rookie authors’ careers, innovating storytelling, and shaping bookshelves with stories worth reading.

“I love how the Booker Prize celebrates the written word, amplifies diverse voices, and offers recognition where it’s due,” shares Geisha Sabayle (@bookxchild on IG). “There are so many underrated books that deserve the spotlight, and the Booker Prize never fails to choose thought-provoking, beautifully written fiction.”

Championing diversity, Booker Prize winners come from expansive backgrounds, exploring themes that span politics, identity, family, migration, and more, turning every read into an enriching learning experience.

Among the recent winners are Bernardine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other (2019 co-winner), which explores the lives of twelve Black British women who are interconnected in unexpected ways, and Damon Galgut’s The Promise (2021 winner), which captures a piercing image of South African history through the lens of a single family.

On November 10, this year’s Booker Prize winner will be revealed. But before that, let’s dive into five books that have won the award in previous years—as well as three more that made this year’s longlist.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (1997 Booker Prize for Literary Fiction)

Set in the vast state of Kerala, India, Arundhati Roy’s debut novel captures the complexities of family dynamics through the story of separated fraternal twins, Rahel and Estha. 

Growing together in the 1960s only to be divided—and reunited as adults in 1993, the lyrical story unravels a deep expanse of memory and loss, as the twins traverse a complex relationship with their mother, Ammu, and the family’s “untouchable” handyman, Velutha. Reading the novel will remind readers how “small things” in life could bring enormous consequences. 

Life of Pi by Yann Martel (2002 Booker Prize for Fantasy and Adventure Fiction)

The titular novel tells the story of Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, as he recounts the challenges he faced while stranded on a lifeboat in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, together with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

In this novel, Yann Martel invites readers to contemplate truth, faith, and the power of storytelling, especially how belief and hope can sustain humans even in the darkest of times. The book was adapted into a film in 2012, which went on to win four Academy Awards: Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (2012 Booker Prize for Historical Fiction)

In Mantel’s historical trilogy set in a reimagined Tudor-era England, the second book, Bring Up the Bodies, explores the Tudor court through the lens of Thomas Cromwell, a powerful advisor to King Henry VIII, as he navigates the treacherous politics surrounding the execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife.

Together with Wolf Hall (Part 1) and The Mirror & the Light (Part 3), the series captures both the grandeur and the brutality of the court—intensified by Mantel’s masterful prose, which makes readers feel as though they are witnessing history unfold before their eyes.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (2019 Booker Prize for Literary Fiction)

In a uniquely interwoven narration by three women, Aunt Lydia, a high-ranking official in Gilead; Agnes Jemima, a young woman groomed to become an Aunt; and Daisy, a young woman in Canada who discovers her connection to Gilead, The Testaments explores the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian, patriarchal society that has overthrown the United States government.

Through these testaments, Atwood, combining her sharp social commentary with a flair for suspense, examines the politics of Gilead: how it sustains its power, how the outside world perceives the republic, and how pockets of resistance emerge over time. It is, at its core, a novel about courage in the face of oppression—an experience deeply resonant with the real world.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (2022 Booker Prize for Fantasy/History/Political Satire)

In this story wrapped of dark humor, magical realism, and political history, Karunatilaka brings the readers into the story of Maali Almeida—a Sri Lankan photographer killed amid the violence and brutalities of the Sri Lankan Civil War—who found himself stuck in a space between the world of the living and the dead, given a chance to complete his unfinished business, including his own murder and exposing the harrowing reality in his nation, within seven days. 

One Boat by Jonathan Buckley (longlisted in the 2025 Booker Prize; published March 13, 2025)

After losing her father, Teresa returns to a small Greek coastal town where she had once grieved her mother, reconnecting with familiar faces, like mechanic Petros, diving instructor Niko, and waitress Xanthe, all in a way to reflect her emotions, longing, and sense of identity. 

The novel utilizes a non-linear structure, an overthinking narrator, and flashbacks and dreams, which make for a challenging read. Still, beyond the storytelling, Jonathan Buckley can weave themes of responsibility, revenge, choice, and memory, while also capturing the quiet moments of grief and human connection.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (longlisted in the 2025 Booker Prize; released on September 25, 2025)

One fateful meeting on an overnight train draws two young individuals hailing from contrasting backgrounds together—a conflicting mix of awkwardness and interest due to their grandparents’ past matchmaking attempts. Sonia, an aspiring novelist, returns to India fearing a dark spell, while Sunny, a struggling journalist in New York, in the run to escape his family’s conflicts.

In this critically acclaimed novel, Kiran Desai navigates love, identity, and cultural heritage amid the challenges of modern life through an intimate storytelling of loneliness patched by humor and emotional depth.

Audition by Katie Kitamura (longlisted in the 2025 Booker Prize, published on April 8, 2025)

An accomplished actress preparing for an upcoming premiere and an attractive, unsettling, and young man, enough to be her son, met for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? 

In this reinvention of the psychological genre, Kitamura delves into the inner life—and divided self—of a middle-aged woman navigating family ties, selfhood, and desire, through clear-eyed prose and razor-sharp observations on performance and identity. 

With this compelling trove of novels, the Booker Prize proves itself to be a spiritual guide for readers looking for a reflection of society that stands the test of time, while also connecting readers all around the world for a shared celebration of literature. 

Indeed, just like what reading Ally Prin Malonzo (@pryngols on IG) says, “It’s like having a well-read friend who gives you suggestions. I trust their picks to be modern classics of future timeless reads.”