The International Booker Prize 2025 longlist showcases a dazzling array of literary talent, featuring 13 remarkable works—11 novels and two short story collections—translated into English from 10 original languages, including Kannada and Romanian for the first time. Selected from a record-breaking 154 submissions, this year’s list spans continents and genres, introducing debut authors alongside literary powerhouses. From a rediscovered queer classic to a self-published sensation turned global phenomenon, the longlist reflects bold storytelling, urgent themes, and fresh perspectives. As the world awaits the shortlist announcement on April 8, these books are must-reads for anyone seeking fiction that transcends borders and expands the imagination.
1. A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre (Translated by Mark Hutchinson)
Described by Le Point as a “masterpiece of simplicity, emotion, and elegance,” A Leopard-Skin Hat may be Anne Serre’s most deeply moving novel yet. Through a series of vivid, fleeting scenes, Serre paints a haunting portrait of a strong-willed yet tormented young woman and the narrator’s tender, anguished attachment to her. Balancing between hope and despair, the novel explores the complexities of love and loss while subtly questioning the nature of storytelling itself. Written in the wake of the author’s own grief following her sister’s passing, A Leopard-Skin Hat is both a poignant tribute to a life cut short and a bittersweet farewell, told in Serre’s signature lyrical style.
2. On a Woman’s Madness by Astrid Roemer (Translated by Lucy Scott)
A bold and unflinching tale of defiance, On a Woman’s Madness, follows Noenka, a fearless Black woman determined to carve out a life on her own terms. When her abusive husband refuses her plea for divorce after just nine days of marriage, she escapes her hometown in Suriname for the capital, Paramaribo, where newfound freedoms and romance collide with the ghosts of her past and the weight of societal judgment. Vividly translated by Lucy Scott, Astrid Roemer’s groundbreaking queer novel is a cornerstone of European and postcolonial literature—an evocative, razor-sharp meditation on the price of disobedience. Through fragments steeped in the lush and brutal landscapes of Suriname, Roemer, the first Surinamese recipient of the Dutch Literature Prize, gives voice to a woman who refuses to be silenced. “Who is Noenka?” she asks. “I’m Noenka,” she declares. “Which means Never Again.”
3. Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq (Translated by Deepa Bhasthi)
A powerful testament to a life dedicated to justice and storytelling, Heart Lamp brings together eleven career-spanning stories by Mushtaq, originally published in Kannada between 1990 and 2023. Emerging from the Bandaya movement—a progressive literary protest against caste and class oppression—Mushtaq was one of its few female voices, later becoming a lawyer while continuing to write with sharp insight and quiet defiance. Through the lives of Muslim women—daughters, homemakers, surgeons, and lawyers—she illuminates both the tenderness and struggles of everyday existence, blending dry humor with piercing social critique. Marked by a deceptively simple yet deeply resonant style, Heart Lamp cements Mushtaq’s legacy as a keen observer of human nature and a fierce advocate for the marginalized—a collection that will endure for years to come.
4. Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico (Translated by Sophie Hughes)
In Perfection, Vincenzo Latronico crafts a razor-sharp portrait of millennial ennui through the lives of Anna and Tom, an expat couple in Berlin seemingly living the dream—think sleek Danish furniture, plant-filled apartments, and a carefully curated existence shared on social media. But beneath the surface of their slow-cooked meals and twenty-four-hour party culture, a quiet dissatisfaction festers. As friends settle down and work turns monotonous, their attempts at political activism feel as hollow as their carefully constructed identities. Restless and searching for meaning, they push further, chasing an elusive sense of authenticity. Translated with precision by Sophie Hughes, Perfection is a brilliantly incisive exploration of modern discontent, exposing the contradictions of a generation that has everything—except purpose.
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5. Eurotrash by Christian Kracht (Translated by Daniel Bowles)
Darkly comic and unapologetically sharp, Eurotrash follows a middle-aged narrator and his terminally ill, perpetually drunk mother on a reckless road trip through Switzerland. Determined to rid themselves of her ill-gotten fortune—built on arms industry investments—they fling money into ravines, clash over long-buried family grievances, and test the patience of their hapless taxi driver. As they speed through a landscape haunted by the ghosts of twentieth-century crimes, the weight of history collides with their own dysfunction, and yet, the vodka keeps flowing. A masterclass in bitter wit and familial reckoning, Christian Kracht’s novel is a dazzling, ferocious ride through guilt, privilege, and the ties that refuse to break.
6. Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami (Translated by Asa Yoneda)
Set in a distant future where humanity teeters on the brink of extinction, Under the Eye of the Big Bird envisions a world where small tribes survive under the watchful care of the Mothers. Here, children are not only born but engineered—some from rabbit and dolphin cells, others drawing sustenance from water and light like plants. As interbreeding with alien beings becomes the key to survival, the very essence of love, connection, and evolution hangs in uncertainty. Spanning geological eons, this haunting and visionary novel offers both a stunning glimpse into the twilight of our species and a profound meditation on what it truly means to be human.
7. Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa (Translated by Polly Barton)
Defiant, provocative, and unflinchingly honest, Hunchback follows Shaka Isawa, a woman with a congenital muscle disorder who navigates life from an electric wheelchair and ventilator. Confined to a care home, her world unfolds online—through fiery tweets, academic pursuits, and bold erotica that shocks and unsettles. When a new male caregiver confesses he has read it all, Shaka responds with an audacious proposition that upends the power dynamic between them. Written by the first disabled author to win Japan’s most prestigious literary award, this groundbreaking novel is a raw and electrifying exploration of desire, agency, and the margins of human experience.
8. Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix (Translated by Helen Stevenson)
Inspired by the tragic 2021 Channel disaster that claimed 27 migrant lives, Small Boat offers a searing fictional reimagining of that fateful night. The narrator, a French emergency operator who took the desperate calls for help, now stands accused of failing in her duty. But is she truly more responsible than the sea, the wars, the systemic failures that led to this catastrophe? As she wrestles with guilt and defiance, Delecroix crafts a chilling and deeply moral tale—one that forces us to confront the brutal realities of borders, bureaucracy, and human indifference. A stark and powerful novel that turns fiction into a mirror of our darkest truths.
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9. Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda (Translated by Julia Sanches, Heather Cleary)
Fierce, darkly funny, and unapologetically raw, Reservoir Bitches follows thirteen Mexican women as they claw their way through a world that refuses to make room for them. From a cartel boss’s ruthless daughter to a woman trapped in the shadow of transfemicide, from spinster seamstresses to a socialite faking Indigenous roots for political gain—each story crackles with defiance, wit, and survival. Blending biting social critique with razor-sharp black comedy, this electrifying debut rattles the cage of life itself, refusing to let it win without a fight.
10. Solenoid by Mircea Cărtărescu (Translated by Sean Cotter)
Blurring the lines between reality and the surreal, Solenoid is a hypnotic descent into the mind of a diarist navigating the bleak absurdities of communist Romania. Inspired by Cartarescu’s own experiences as a teacher, the novel unfolds in eerie, dreamlike layers—through nightmarish hospitals, labyrinthine classrooms, and underground societies obsessed with defying death. With a masterful fusion of history, philosophy, and mathematics, Solenoid constructs a world where escape lies in the cracks between existence and imagination. An astonishing literary odyssey, it cements Cartarescu’s place as one of the most visionary writers of our time.
11. There’s a Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem (Translated by Karen Fleetwood, Laëtitia Saint-Loubert)
Set against the turbulent backdrop of 1980s La Réunion, this darkly humorous and unflinching novel follows a young girl’s desperate attempt to break free from the violent grip of the infamous Dessaintes clan. As she seeks refuge in school, her family’s downfall is quietly chronicled from within. Infused with the island’s customs, superstitions, and the lingering shadows of postcolonialism, this sharp and satirical tale questions the very nature of freedom—and the unexpected places the act of writing can lead.
12. On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle (Translated by Barbara J. Haveland)
Trapped in an endless loop, Tara Selter wakes up every morning to the same date: November 18th. The world moves forward around her, but she alone is stuck, reliving the day over and over. In the shifting shadows of a Paris hotel room, she memorizes each fleeting moment—the blackbird’s song, her husband’s startled reaction—while desperately searching for a way out. A poetic, mesmerizing exploration of time, memory, and fate, this award-winning novel is a haunting meditation on the improbable coincidences that shape our existence.
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13. The Book of Disappearance by Ibtisam Azem (Translated by Sinan Antoon)
When all Palestinians mysteriously vanish overnight, Ariel—a liberal Zionist—finds himself confronting the unsettling void left behind. His search for answers exposes the contradictions within his own beliefs, the fractures in Israeli society, and the painful echoes of history. Meanwhile, Alaa, haunted by his grandmother’s memories of displacement after the Nakba, embodies the weight of a history that refuses to disappear. Set against the backdrop of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, this gripping novel weaves together personal and political reckonings, challenging the narratives that shape identity, belonging, and loss.
The International Booker Prize 2025 longlist is a testament to the power of translation in bridging cultures and bringing extraordinary voices to a global audience. Whether delving into the surreal landscapes of Solenoid, the defiant narratives of Reservoir Bitches, or the tender recollections of A Leopard-Skin Hat, each book offers a singular experience—one that challenges, provokes, and lingers long after the final page. As we move closer to the winner announcement on May 20, now is the perfect time to explore these remarkable stories and celebrate the art of international literature.
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