Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix, translated by Helen Stevenson, published by Small Axes / HopeRoad | Review | Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize 2026
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…
The skinny
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