The Times' 25 Best Novels of the 21st Century

From 9 August, 2025: "Our literary team pick the top British and Irish fiction of the past 25 years, from Sally Rooney and William Boyd to Zadie Smith and Douglas Stuart...We had to have some rules. So, we've limited ourselves to writers from Britain and Ireland and we've chosen no more than one novel by each writer, mainly so that our list couldn't be confused for a Hilary Mantel bibliography. The following books are presented from oldest to youngest, but we've kept our five favourites for the end." Books were eligible if they were published January 1, 2000 or later, although you pedants out there know that the 21st century didn't actually start until January 1, 2001. Nevertheless...