Prophet SongProphet Song
What it's about
Paul Lynch's novel is a portrait of a society on the brink: in an Ireland falling into tyranny, a mother tries to hold her family together after her husband disappears, and faces a terrible choice.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Booker Prize. It's a fierce, urgent and frightening novel about how quickly a democracy can collapse.
You'll love it if you liked
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Road
1984Good to know
It's written in long, unbroken paragraphs and is intense. It's often described as hard to put down and hard to read.
By the numbers
- Readers48 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz37 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #77 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #95 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #143 of the 481 new books we rank
- #821 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Dark, Thought-provoking, Moving
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Quick answers
Is Prophet Song worth reading?
Yes. It won the Booker Prize. It ranks #821 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Prophet Song about?
Paul Lynch's novel is a portrait of a society on the brink: in an Ireland falling into tyranny, a mother tries to hold her family together after her husband disappears, and faces a terrible choice.
How long does it take to read Prophet Song?
About 7 hours (279 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Prophet Song won?
Booker Prize winner (2023).
What should I read after Prophet Song?
If you liked it, try The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Road by Cormac McCarthy or 1984 by George Orwell.