The Book Club Review Beyond the Shortlist: The 2025 Booker Longlist titles worth your time • #181
Oct 25, 2025
Phil Chaffee, a passionate journalist and contemporary literature commentator, joins Elizabeth Eva Leach, a scholarly music tutor at Oxford who tackles around 200 books a year. They dive into this year's Booker longlist, highlighting overlooked gems that didn't make the shortlist. Conversations spark around titles like "Misinterpretation" focusing on trauma, the atmospheric "Seascraper", and the humor-inflected war narrative in "Endling". Their top picks include the moving "Love Forms" and the immersive "Seascraper", revealing literary treasures awaiting discovery.
01:03:48
Read Several Books Simultaneously
- Read multiple books at once and switch when attention drifts to keep momentum.
- Combine visual reading with audiobooks to fit different attention levels and contexts.
Great Books Can Be Overlooked
- Longlists select from ~150 submissions so strong books often miss the shortlist.
- Historical examples show longlist omissions can later become classics.
Writers Judge Differently
- Writer-judges may favour qualities other readers value less, like craft or experimentation.
- That can explain why debuts and crowd-pleasers sometimes miss the shortlist.
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Intro
00:00 • 8min
Why revisit the Booker longlist
08:22 • 18sec
Misinterpretation: premise and clip
08:40 • 2min
Reactions to Misinterpretation
10:53 • 3min
Seascraper: setup and audio
14:06 • 2min
Seascraper: music and atmosphere
16:26 • 6min
Endling: premise and clip
22:11 • 3min
Endling: tone, humor and ethics
25:00 • 6min
Ad break
30:33 • 1min
One Boat: premise and clip
32:02 • 3min
One Boat: metafiction and rereading
34:59 • 6min
Universality: Natasha Brown's themes
41:21 • 5min
The South: scope and series concerns
46:38 • 6min
Love Forms: narration and emotion
52:10 • 7min
Top pick from the longlist
59:12 • 3min
Outro
01:02:01 • 2min
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Barn 8
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Deb Olin Unferth
Barn 8 follows two auditors in the US egg industry who plan to steal a million chickens from an industrial farm.
The novel explores themes of animal liberation, consumerism, and the ethical implications of food production.
Unferth blends humor and social commentary, creating a unique and thought-provoking narrative.
The story delves into the lives of the characters involved, their motivations, and the consequences of their actions.
With its quirky premise and sharp wit, Barn 8 challenges readers to question their relationship with the environment and the food they consume.
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Venice in the Veneto
Jonathan Buckley
Venice and the Veneto is a comprehensive travel guide that explores the cultural and historical riches of the region.
Jonathan Buckley's writing brings the beauty of Venice and the surrounding areas to life.
The guide is filled with practical information, detailed maps, and insider tips for travelers.
It delves into the art, architecture, and cuisine that make the region unique.
Buckley's insights make this book a valuable resource for those seeking to discover the hidden gems of Venice and the Veneto.
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Love Forms
Claire Adam
Love Forms explores loss, motherhood, and the complexities of family relationships.
Set in Trinidad, the story follows Dawn, a 58-year-old divorced woman haunted by the loss of the baby girl she gave up as a teenager.
The novel delves into Dawn's past, her relationships with her two adult sons, and her search for connection.
Adam's writing style conveys a sense of quiet urgency.
The book examines themes of identity, regret, and the enduring power of love.
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One Boat
Jonathan Buckley
One Boat explores themes of grief, memory, and human connection in a quiet and introspective narrative.
The story follows Teresa as she returns to a small coastal town in Greece following her father's death.
Interweaving events from a previous trip, the novel delves into Teresa's relationship with her mother.
The book raises questions about obsession, personhood, and the complexities of the human experience.
With its precise prose and subtle insights, the novel invites readers to contemplate the nature of memory and the search for meaning.
#18504
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Universality
Lionel Shriver
#20785
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Endling
Riva Maria
#9780
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
Intimacies
Leo Bersani
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The South
Tash Aw
#43829
Assembly
Natasha Brown
#50325
Seascraper
Benjamin Wood
Seascraper tells the story of Thomas, a young man living in a Northern English coastal town in the 1960s, working as a shanker collecting shrimp.
He dreams of becoming a folk musician but is trapped by his circumstances.
The arrival of a mysterious American film director offers Thomas a glimpse of a different future.
The novel explores themes of class, family legacy, and the pursuit of artistic dreams.
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Misinterpretation
Lady Joga
#20884
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Outline
Rachel Cusk
#1236
• Mentioned in 26 episodes
Wolf Hall
Hilary Mantel
Set during the English Reformation, 'Wolf Hall' brings to life the opulent and brutal world of the Tudors.
The novel focuses on Thomas Cromwell, who rises from humble origins to become a powerful advisor to King Henry VIII.
It explores themes of ambition, power, politics, religion, identity, and loyalty and betrayal, all set against the backdrop of Henry VIII's desire to marry Anne Boleyn and break from the Roman Catholic Church.
Mantel's vivid imagery and sensory details create a rich sense of time and place, making historical characters relatable to contemporary readers.
#1232
• Mentioned in 26 episodes
Trust
The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity
Francis Fukuyama
In this book, Francis Fukuyama argues that the level of trust within a society is a crucial factor in its economic success.
He contends that societies with high levels of trust, such as Germany, Japan, and the United States, are more likely to create flexible and large-scale business organizations necessary for competing in the global economy.
Fukuyama examines various national cultures to identify the underlying principles that foster social and economic prosperity, emphasizing the importance of social capital and the interconnectedness of economic and cultural life.
He challenges both neoclassical and state-centered economic theories by highlighting the role of trust and social virtues in economic development.
#2509
• Mentioned in 15 episodes
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro
The novel is set in a dystopian England where cloning technology allows for the mass production of organ donors.
The story is narrated by Kathy, a clone who works as a 'carer' for other donors.
Kathy reflects on her upbringing at Hailsham, a boarding school for clones, and her relationships with her friends Ruth and Tommy.
As the narrative unfolds, it reveals the grim reality of the clones' existence: they are raised to donate their organs until they 'complete' (die).
The book explores themes of identity, humanity, and the moral implications of scientific advancements, raising questions about the treatment of the vulnerable and the nature of human existence.
#15872
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Love After 50
How to Find It, Enjoy It, and Keep It
Francine Russo
This book provides practical advice on various aspects of dating and relationships after the age of 50.
It includes guidance on recovering from emotional damage, building realistic requirements for a partner, navigating online dating, overcoming physical challenges of sex, evaluating the financial and practical results of different relationship arrangements, and dealing with adult children.
The book is based on interviews with top experts and dozens of couples, and it includes the author's personal experiences and stories of real people who have formed healthy partnerships later in life.
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The Blue Flower
Penelope Fitzgerald
Penelope Fitzgerald's "The Blue Flower" is a historical novel set in late 18th-century Germany, during the Romantic era.
It follows the life of Novalis, a young poet deeply influenced by the ideals of Romanticism.
The novel delves into Novalis's passionate pursuit of knowledge and beauty, exploring themes of love, loss, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world.
Fitzgerald's elegant prose captures the spirit of the Romantic movement, highlighting its complexities and contradictions.
The story is both a poignant exploration of individual experience and a reflection on the broader historical context of the time.
The novel's evocative descriptions and insightful characterizations create a richly immersive reading experience.
In which Kate is joined by pod regular, journalist Phil Chaffee and Professor Elizabeth Eva Leach. Both read over 200 books a year, and their reading stacks this year have included the Booker longlist.
And so who better to consider the books that didn't make the final cut – but which are, notwithstanding, the 'best' books selected from over 150 submitted titles.
As we know, really great books can get overlooked for the shortlist. Consider Trust by Hernan Diaz, longlisted but not shortlisted, or, going further back Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and before that Penelope Fitzgerald's miraculous novel The Blue Flower. The fallibility of the judging process thus proven let's leave no stone unturned in considering this year's selection. Did the judges overlook a new favourite read?
The Booker Prize is announced on 10th November and we'll be recording an episode on the shortlist on the night. Coming soon!
Booklist
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Misinterpretation by Ledia Xhoga
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Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
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Endling by Maria Reva
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One Boat by Jonathan Buckley
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The Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk
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Universality by Natasha Brown
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The South by Tash Aw
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Love Forms by Claire Adam
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Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth
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The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
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