10 Booker-nominated books to make you hopeful for the future

The start of a new year often brings with it a natural pause: a time for reflection on the months that have passed and anticipation of what lies ahead. It’s in these moments of stillness that fiction can offer something profound – a powerful way to imagine a better future. In a world increasingly marked by uncertainty and challenge, books can remind us that we’re not alone, and that hope can emerge even in the most difficult of circumstances. 

Drawn from Booker Prizes winners and nominees, this list explores themes of struggle, resilience, and perseverance, while touching on prescient topics such as environmentalism, war, and societal upheaval. These 10 illuminating books offer a slice of literary comfort and invite you to embrace the idea that, no matter how hard the journey, a new beginning is always within reach.

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2022, Glory is an allegorical tale chronicling a nation’s journey through upheaval and eventual renewal. Told through a chorus of anthropomorphised animal voices, NoViolet Bulawayo’s novel draws on Animal Farm, African folklore, and oral storytelling traditions and provides a satirical take on Zimbabwe’s 2017 coup and the fall of Robert Mugabe. 

In a work the Booker Prize judges called an ‘ingenious and brilliant political fable that bears witness to the surreal turns of history,’ Bulawayo captures the political and social strife of political revolution with vivid imagery and wit. At its heart, Glory is a testament to the power of concerted action against tyranny and the enduring strength of community. 

While We Were Dreaming by Clemens Meyer, translated by Katy Derbyshire

Set in the aftermath of German reunification, Clemens Meyer’s 2023 International Booker Prize-longlisted novel captures the tumultuous lives of a group of friends growing up in Leipzig after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Here, the teenagers navigate the chaos of adolescence, clinging to their friendship as a lifeline against the backdrop of economic and political upheaval. Written in a fragmented narrative, this coming-of-age novel mirrors the instability of the era. 

Meyer portrays their moments of rebellion, vulnerability, and desire for a better future, drawing readers into a world where hope flickers even in the shadows of despair. Translated from German by Katy Derbyshire, this sometimes harrowing novel is a reminder of the power of shared dreams and the possibility of renewal amid uncertainty. In the Oxonian Review, Gwendoline Choi wrote that the book forces readers to reflect on the ‘last bastions of hope’ in their own lives.

How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney

Inspired by the author’s own son, Elaine Feeney’s How to Build a Boat follows Jamie, a teenager with a passion for the colour red, patterns and Edgar Allan Poe. His dream? To construct a Perpetual Motion Machine and connect with his late mother, Noelle, who died when he was born. When Jamie moves to a new school, he faces challenges but also finds unexpected allies in two teachers. Together, they build not just a boat but a sense of community.

After writing How to Build a Boat, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2023, Feeney wondered, ‘Can we live in an inclusive society by recognising each other, accepting one another without explanation of categorisation? Can we be tolerant?’. Here, she shows that the answer is a resounding yes, and that by working together, we can weather any storm.

James by Percival Everett

Percival Everett isn’t one to shy away from challenging conventions. His previous work has tackled systemic racism and cultural hypocrisy with a raised eyebrow and lashings of razor-sharp wit. In 2024, he delivered James, a bold, fresh take on Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which does all of this and more. 

James reimagines the classic from the perspective of Jim, a Black enslaved man who accompanies Huck on their journey down the Mississippi River in 1861. Everett explores Jim’s inner world – his struggles, dreams, fierce intelligence and love for his family – in the face of dehumanising cruelty, and confronts America’s legacy of slavery. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2024 and winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, James earned praise for its poignant storytelling, demonstrating how resilience can endure in the face of oppression, and reclaiming James’ identity in the process.

Pearl by Siân Hughes

In Pearl, Siân Hughes reimagines the medieval poem of the same name to craft a poignant story of love, loss, and rediscovery. The novel follows Marianne as she grapples with the disappearance of her mother in childhood, clinging to fragmented memories, all while attempting to untangle buried family secrets that she believes will take her closer to the truth. When Marianne stumbles across the 14th-century poem, it provides a moment of solace and offers a path toward healing through her continued search. 

‘If grief is portrayed as always unfinished, the consequence is drawn with melancholy intensity,’ Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp wrote the Sydney Morning Herald, in a review of the novel, which was longlisted for the Booker in 2023. Hughes’ lyrical prose and emotional depth combine to create a meditation on grief that, despite moments of sadness, also creates a moving reflection on the healing power of love.