May We Feed the King
A curator who dresses the rooms of historic buildings, down to fake pies and pomegranates on the banquet tables, gets so caught up in an almost-forgotten medieval king that the edges of her own life start to blur. He never wanted the crown. It came to him after his older brothers died young, and now his court whispers that someone else should rule in his place. The novel moves between the two of them. The US paperback came out September 29, 2026.
History as a hiding place, written by a poet. Lush and a little dreamy.
The Booker judges said: “A wonderfully enticing combination of themes, woven together with a delicacy of touch. You can’t read it without reflecting on the fragile boundary between the present and the past.”
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First published in the UK by Granta, 29 January 2026. The winner is announced November 9, 2026. Source: The Booker Prizes.