The Strange Case of Vernon God Little

What exactly is “a Booker book”? Some might jump to a specific kind of high-minded, serious fiction, while others argue for a broader definition inclusive of more mainstream titles. Over the years, the pendulum has swung between the two and in 2003, DBC Pierre's debut, Vernon God Little, was awarded the prize. In this episode, we take a closer look at the novel and why it was an unexpected winner.

In this episode, Jo and James talk about:

Their childhood reading inspirations

A brief – and slightly spoiler-y – summary of Vernon God Little

The reaction to its 2003 Man Booker Prize win

The author behind the novel, DBC Pierre

Whether Vernon God Little stands up to reading 20 years after its release

Books to read after reading Vernon God Little


Books and authors discussed in this episode:

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Rudyard Kipling

Charles Dickens

Vladimir Nabokov

Virginia Woolf

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Philip Pullman

The Moomins books by Tove Jansson

Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller

Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Schopenhauer's Telescope by Gerard Donovan

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Us by David Nicholls

The Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St. Aubyn

Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi

Philip Larkin


A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

If you've got a problem you'd like some literary help with, email us at contactus@bookerprizefoundation.org using the subject line “The Booker Clinic”.

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