Which Eleanor Catton novel won the 2013 Booker Prize?

The Eleanor Catton novel that won the 2013 Booker Prize was *The Luminaries*.

Set during the 1866 gold rush on New Zealand’s South Island, the novel begins when Walter Moody arrives in the settlement of Hokitika and encounters twelve men secretly discussing a series of crimes. Their stories gradually connect a missing wealthy man, a fortune, a prostitute’s attempted suicide and a suspected murder.

Catton structured the book around astrology. Its twelve central male characters correspond to the zodiac, while seven prominent women reflect the classical planets. The intricate design mirrors the novel’s themes of fate, coincidence and hidden influence.

At 832 pages, *The Luminaries* became the longest novel to win the Booker Prize. Catton was 28 when she won, making her the youngest winner in the prize’s history at the time. Readers sometimes confuse it with *The Rehearsal*, her earlier debut, or *Birnam Wood*, a later novel; neither won the 2013 award.