Here, a guide to the six books on the 2024 Booker Prize shortlist:

Booker Prize shortlist has been announced, with the largest number of women represented in its 55-year history. Five of the six-strong shortlist are women, with authors from five countries represented,

Announcing the news at Somerset House, Edmund de Waal, chair of the 2024 judges, insisted that the books were not selected for the “issues” they tackled, though he did acknowledge that they all grappled with ideas of identity and the “fault lines of our times”.