I found Black Bag highly entertaining and a joy to read, making me laugh out loud several times and smile endlessly.
Oddly though (or maybe not?), it seems to be at the bottom of the Booker Prize shortlist (well, that of the bookies) this year (2026). Which probably says a lot about me, and my ‘literary’ tastes. Or maybe it says more about the kind of writing that wins the Booker prize.
It’s a breath of fresh air to read a novel which feels truly original, shunning so many formulaic plot driven genres (even if the central premise is based on an actual experiment from the 60s). No murder, no antagonist, no well defined hero’s journey, just a few little mysteries to keep things flowing. I might just be choosing the wrong books, but this is why I keep trying to read the Booker prize shortlist, to broaden my perspective and branch out from the tired old tropes that I usually end up flicking my eyeballs over.
Although it felt like it was running out of steam a little in the final third, it redeemed itself in the final few chapters and all came together nicely. It wasn’t too long, wasn’t too short. I didn’t get bogged down in too many characters, locations, historical intricacies, parallel storylines (eventually coming together of course), flowery prose, or meandering narratives, opinions, philosophies, or random ramblings.
I also really liked the central character, who I don’t think we ever learn the name of (which I think is kind of the point of Black Bag) It’s easier to go along with a novel when you actually like looking through the eyes of a protagonist who is endearing and charming.
