Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, Translated by Helen Stevenson, Published by Small Axes / HopeRoad | Review | Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 Longlist

We begin our Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026 longlist series with Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson. Published by Small Axes / HopeRoad.

Our bookie this week is Jean-François Bodart @nathanael_archer

This is our second time discussing Small Boat, having previously covered it during our International Booker Prize 2025 episodes. Returning to the novel a year on, we reflect on how it holds up, which themes have stayed with us, and why this slim but devastating book continues to resonate.

We all loved it then — and many of its questions, images, and moral tensions are still very much with us now.

📖 Next Up

Our next read is The Weasel and the Whore by Martha Luisa Hernández Cadenas, translated by Julia Sanches and Jennifer Shyue, published by Héloïse Press.

📚 Read along with us, share your thoughts, and join the book club as we work our way through the longlist ahead of the prize announcement.

More Queen Mary longlist episodes coming soon.

🎙️ Hosts

• Aaron: @AaronRiceMedia

• Hannah: @certifiedbookyapperhannah

• Lucy: @bookz2026

• Colin: @c_f_writes

Bookies' Favourite: @bookiesfavouritebookclub

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