May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
Last updated: 13 October 2026
May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry is a debut novel about a museum curator who becomes absorbed in the life of an almost-forgotten medieval king. It won the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2026 and is on the Booker Prize 2026 shortlist, with the winner named on 9 November. Granta publishes the 272-page hardback, and I checked the prices and stock on Amazon and Bookshop.org on 13 October 2026, when Amazon had it at £12.15.
Buy from Amazon, £12.15Buy from Bookshop.org, £14.24
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What happens in May We Feed the King
The narrator is a curator whose job is dressing the rooms of historic buildings so that visitors can picture the people who lived there. While she is working in the private rooms of a medieval palace, she becomes fascinated by the reign of a king few people now remember. Gradually, the line between his life and hers starts to blur.
He never wanted power. He was rushed to the throne after his older brothers died, and before long the court begins to whisper that he is not fit to rule. The novel moves between the two of them, the king who risks his kingdom and the woman who uses the past to hide from her own present.
The prizes
May We Feed the King won the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2026 and was a Sunday Times bestseller, according to its publisher. On 22 September 2026, it was named on the six-book shortlist for the Booker Prize 2026, alongside Elizabeth Strout's The Things We Never Say and Douglas Stuart's John of John. The full list is in the Booker Prizes announcement.
Who Rebecca Perry is
Perry is a London-based poet, and this is her first novel. Bloodaxe published her two poetry collections, Beauty/Beauty in 2015 and Stone Fruit in 2021, and her poetry has been shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize. Granta, her publisher, has a page for the book with more of the reviews. Booksellers at Waterstones were among its first champions: one at Waterstones Leeds called it "beautiful, artistic, philosophical, curious and soothing".
Key facts
- Author: Rebecca Perry
- Publisher: Granta Books
- Published: 29 January 2026
- Format: hardback, 272 pages
- ISBN: 9781803513867
- Prizes: winner, Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2026; shortlisted, Booker Prize 2026
Who it suits as a gift
It suits someone who loves visiting historic houses and castles, because the narrator's job is exactly that world. It also fits a reader of historical fiction who wants something shorter and stranger than a doorstop. And for anyone working through the Booker shortlist, it is the debut on the list.
The limits
The book moves between two times and two people, and it is more interested in mood and ideas than in a twisting plot. A reader who wants a straight historical novel about a king may find the modern half gets in the way. There is no paperback yet either, so the hardback is the only print edition for now.
Where to buy it in the UK
Amazon UK had the hardback at £12.15, in stock. Bookshop.org had it at £14.24, ready to despatch, and every order there supports independent bookshops. For more ideas for a reader, my best book gifts UK guide has 21 books sorted by the kind of reader they suit.
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FAQs
What is May We Feed the King about?
A curator working in a medieval palace becomes absorbed in the life of a reluctant, almost-forgotten king, and the line between his story and hers begins to blur.
Is May We Feed the King on the Booker shortlist?
Yes. It is one of six novels on the Booker Prize 2026 shortlist. The winner is named on 9 November 2026.
How much does May We Feed the King cost?
On 13 October 2026, Amazon UK had the hardback at £12.15 and Bookshop.org at £14.24.
Is it Rebecca Perry's first novel?
Yes. It is her debut novel, and it won the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2026.
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