A novel centred on gastronomy has won the Booker Prize for Fiction, a decision that has sharply divided critics and underscored the resilience of British publishing in a contracting global market.
The jury, chaired by novelist and critic James Wood, awarded the prize to “The Flavour of Earth” by Indian-born author Rhea Kapoor. The novel follows a Michelin-starred chef’s descent into obsession as she reconstructs her grandmother’s lost recipe book against the backdrop of a changing climate. Wood praised the work as “a sensuous meditation on memory and loss that transcends its culinary premise.”
Yet the divergence in critical reception has been marked. In The Guardian, critic Hermione Eyre called it “a masterpiece of sensory prose that makes the reader taste loss itself.” But The Spectator’s Sam Leith dismissed it as “literary confection, all icing and no cake.” Meanwhile, the Financial Times noted that the book’s portrayal of food insecurity in Mumbai had been overlooked in favour of its aesthetic pleasures, raising questions about the prize’s priorities.
The controversy comes as the broader book market faces turbulence. Nielsen BookScan reports that print book sales in the UK fell by 3.2% in 2024, a smaller decline than in the United States (6.8%) and Germany (5.1%). British publishers have weathered the downturn through aggressive export strategies and a strong non-fiction sector. According to the Publishers Association, UK export revenues rose to £1.3bn in 2024, driven by demand for English-language books in Asia and Africa.
“British publishing has proved more resilient than its peers,” said Dr. Eleanor Hart, director of the Oxford Centre for Publishing. “Our language advantage, combined with strong literary brands like the Booker, gives us a soft power that cushions against economic headwinds.”
The win for “The Flavour of Earth” also highlights a broader trend. The Booker Prize, now in its 56th year, has increasingly recognised genre-bending works. Kapoor’s novel follows Julian Barnes’ “The Noise of Time” and Marlon James’ “A Brief History of Seven Killings” as a winner that defies easy categorisation. Wood, in his jury statement, rejected the notion that a food novel was a frivolous choice: “Literature has always been about the body and its appetites. This novel does for taste what Proust did for memory.”
International reaction has been mixed. French literary blog “Le Monde des Livres” described the decision as “a welcome departure from Anglo-Saxon miserabilism,” while The New York Times noted that the book’s focus on individual pleasure seemed out of step with the political urgency of contemporary fiction. Kapoor herself, in a press conference at the Guildhall, said she had intended the novel as a “metaphor for how we consume the world, both literally and metaphorically.”
The division among critics may prove lucrative. Previous Booker winners that sparked debate, such as “The Sellout” and “Lincoln in the Bardo,” saw sales surge after their prize announcements. Industry analysts expect “The Flavour of Earth” to follow suit, with Waterstones reporting a 400% increase in pre-orders since the win.
As British publishing navigates a global market in flux, the Booker Prize remains its most visible showcase. Whether Kapoor’s novel is a fleeting sensation or a lasting work, its victory affirms that in a shrinking world, British letters still command attention.
