Kiran Desai's New Novel Shortlisted for 2025 Booker Prize
Booker Prize-winning author Kiran Desai has once again made it to the prestigious Booker Prize shortlist, this time for her new novel 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny', announced on September 23.
Desai, who was born in Delhi and is now 53 years old, previously won the Booker Prize in 2006 for her acclaimed novel 'The Inheritance of Loss'. Nearly 19 years later, she is once again among the six global finalists for one of the most celebrated literary awards.
Judges have described the new book as a "rich and immersive epic about love and finding a way to reach one another," centered on the lives of a young Indian couple living in America. The novel is said to explore themes of class, race, and nationality with great depth and intimacy.
Kiran Desai reportedly took nearly 20 years to write this novel. If she wins, she would become only the fifth author in the 56-year history of the Booker Prize to win it twice.
Her success would mark an unprecedented clean sweep for India at the 2025 Booker Prizes, following earlier this year’s International Booker Prize win by Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi for their short story collection 'Heart Lamp'.
Kiran's literary journey is also rooted in family legacy—her mother, renowned author Anita Desai, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times.
Other Titles on the 2025 Booker Shortlist:
- Flashlight by Susan Choi
- Audition by Katie Kitamura
- The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
- Flesh by David Szalay
- The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
The winner will be announced on November 10, 2025, at a ceremony held at Old Billingsgate, London. The winner will receive a prize of £50,000, while each shortlisted author will receive £2,500 and a specially bound edition of their book.