Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ interview: ‘It’s a delight to share the joy of discovering great writing with other people’
Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, one of the Booker Prize 2025 judges, shares how discussions expand her reading experience and her favourite Booker Prize novels
Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ is a Booker Prize-longlisted novelist. Read her full bio.
You will read over a hundred books in seven months as a Booker Prize judge. How are you approaching this unique challenge, and what are your tips for people who want to find more time for reading but may struggle to fit it around their busy schedules?
It’s quite intense, but consistency does help. I set aside large chunks of time dedicated solely to reading, but I’ve found that I still cannot keep up. So, in addition, I make a conscious effort to use every spare moment – sometimes just ten minutes here or there – to read a few pages. For busy people who want to read more, my advice is to always carry a book or e-reader with you. Those small chunks of reading time really do add up and within a few weeks, you’d be surprised by how many books you are able to finish.
Reading is a mostly solitary experience, but judging is a shared one. How does discussing a book with other people change the reading experience?
Such discussions expand my reading experience by adding new perspectives and challenging my interpretations. Hearing what resonated with someone else or what put them off can reveal nuances I might have missed on my own. Even if my core opinion about a book doesn’t change after a conversation, I’ve found that it is always enriched in some way. It’s also such a delight to share the joy of discovering great writing with other people who care deeply about books.
Who, living or dead, would be in your dream book club and why? What would you read and where would you meet?
My sister, my mum, and her four sisters. There’ll be loads of food, we’d spend about half the time talking about things unrelated to the book, but I’d leave laughing and inspired for weeks. The dream would be to read Austen, Achebe and Morrison. We’d meet at Book Nook, Lagos, a charming and intimate bookshop just a short walk from my home, perfect for evening gatherings.
Booker Prize 2025 judge Ayòbámi Adébáyò at a judging meeting at Fortnum & Mason in London
© Neo Gilder for the Booker Prize FoundationEven if my core opinion about a book doesn’t change after a conversation, I’ve found that it is always enriched in some way
— Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
What book made you fall in love with reading as a child? How and why did it capture your imagination?
It was a mix of several books, but I’ll stick to two. I read what was probably an abridged version of L.P. Hartley’s The Go-Between when I was seven or eight, and I stayed up late to finish it. I remember weeping and feeling heartbroken for days by the story because the characters felt so real to me. Another unforgettable book from my childhood was Without a Silver Spoon by Eddie Iroh. I can still recall specific incidents and scenes from it even now. With Iroh’s book I was also invested in the young boy at the heart of the story.
What’s your all-time favourite Booker-nominated book and what’s so special about it? Who would you recommend it to?
Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah, his final novel, displays all the mastery and insight found in his earlier works. It’s a book worth revisiting. Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things was the first Booker Prize winner my mum gifted me – I devoured it in two days and still hold it dear. More recent favourites have included Chetna Maroo’s Western Lane and Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These. I’d recommend all four to anyone who loves great, unforgettable literature.
Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
