Booker International Longlist

Banu Mushtaq’s ‘Heart Lamp’ glows with understated power in each of its short narratives. Her stories explore family, memory, and the small fractures of everyday life with tender insight. Scenes unfold like brief dreams—rich in detail and emotional truth. Mushtaq’s voice is both precise and poetic, effortlessly balancing light and shadow. Together, the collection forms a heartfelt mosaic of lived experience across cultures and generations.

Anne Serre’s evocative novella wraps surreal imagery and domestic intimacy into a quietly unsettling tale. The leopard‑skin hat becomes a motif of desire and dislocation, threading through characters and memories like a soft, dangerous wildness. Serre’s prose is spare yet richly textured—every word feels carefully chosen. The narrative drifts between interior monologue and dream logic, exploring memory’s slipperiness. Despite its brevity, the story leaves a lingering atmosphere: charming, uncanny, and open‑ended.

Astrid H. Roemer offers a penetrating exploration of a woman’s fractured mind in this lyrical and fearless narrative. The prose shifts between clarity and turmoil, mirroring her internal struggle with emotion and identity. Through carefully constructed vignettes, Roemer questions societal expectations and the stigma of mental health. The narrative doesn’t shy away from discomfort but transforms it into raw empathy. Readers emerge with a deep respect for the complexity of her experience and the power of writing to illuminate inner worlds.

In ‘Perfection’, Vincenzo Latronico probes the elusive pursuit of completeness in a world riddled with flaws. The narrative follows protagonists weighed down by self‑expectation, as they strive for artistic, emotional, or relational perfection. Latronico’s prose is elegant and layered—abstract but emotionally anchored. He often flirts with philosophical musing while maintaining narrative tension. The result is a slow-burning meditation on ambition, failure, and the bittersweet beauty of imperfection.

Christian Kracht’s ‘Eurotrash’ delivers a biting, satirical tour of disillusioned youth and consumerist malaise. His sharp, ironic tone skewers empty luxury and cultural ennui across European settings. The characters stumble through art scenes, parties, and existential drift, chasing meaning in a commodified world. Kracht’s prose is cool and aloof but radiates sharp insights beneath the detachment. It’s a witty, acid-laced indictment of modern decadence with stylistic bravado.

Saou Ichikawa’s ‘Hunchback’ transforms bodily difference into a story of resilience and identity. Her protagonist lives with physical curvature while confronting social stigma and inner self‑acceptance. The narrative moves deliberately, balancing intimate interiority with external observation. Ichikawa’s writing is simple but powerful—every physical detail resonates emotionally. The novel culminates in a moment of fragile triumph: a testament to the overlooked voices of the body.

Ibtisam Azem’s novel begins with an eerie premise—an entire population vanishes overnight—then examines its aftermath with poetic restraint. She explores the void left behind: abandoned streets, silent homes, and the psychological holes within survivors. The prose is haunting and precise, blending speculative premise with emotional gravity. Azem asks how absence reshapes identity, memory, and belonging under occupation. The narrative’s hush makes its emotional impact all the more powerful.

Solvej Balle’s novel defies genre with fragmented narrative and philosophical undertones. The text weaves numbers, geometry, and human relationships into an experimental tapestry. Her prose is lyrical but elusive—inviting the reader to calculate meaning rather than follow a traditional plot. Themes of measurement, perception, and human scale ripple through the chapters. It’s a daring, cerebral read that rewards patience and engagement.

Vincent Delecroix’s ‘Small Boat’ drifts like its namesake—small, introspective, and profoundly reflective. Centered on a solitary journey across calm waters, the book explores solitude, memory, and spiritual rest. The prose is gentle and measured, evoking philosophical reverie against the backdrop of natural beauty. Delecroix meditates on pilgrimage as inner voyage, inviting quiet introspection. It’s a subtle, heartfelt exploration of life’s ebb and flow.

Dahlia de la Cerda’s ‘Reservoir Bitches’ crackles with fierce energy and raw voice. The characters inhabit a gritty world—skate parks, city alleys, careless nights—where friendship and survival intertwine. Her prose is punchy, colloquial, and vividly immediate. Themes of gender, rebellion, and urban youth culture surface with unapologetic honesty. A tight, high-impact read that grips through its emotional candor and vernacular power.

Gaëlle Bélem’s book blends psychological tension with evocative domestic setting in this compelling narrative. A creeping uncertainty builds as characters confront hidden traumas and mysterious presences, real or imagined. Bélem’s prose is precise, atmospheric—each creak, shadow, and glance counts. The tension tightens gradually, pulling the reader into a psychological maze. A haunting, intimate exploration of fear, memory, and what lurks just out of sight.

Mircea Cărtărescu’s ‘Solenoid’ is a monumental, hallucinatory journey through memory, myth, and obsession. The narrator—absentminded schoolteacher—wanders Bucharest and his own mind, fueled by arcane literature and zombie metaphors. The prose is elaborate and labyrinthine, packed with surreal digressions and philosophical weight. Cărtărescu builds an alternative universe: part metafiction, part mystic reverie. It’s daring, vast, and unapologetically dense—an unforgettable plunge into literary bravado.