SHORTLIST
Cover of Death of an Ordinary Man

Death of an Ordinary Man

Death of an Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry is one of 2026's most credible books, appearing on 1 of the year's most respected lists, including The Guardian, for a Consensus Score of 16 out of 100.

Appears on these lists

Our take

AI-drafted

Perry turns the nine days between her father-in-law's cancer diagnosis and his death into a close, unsentimental account of what home caregiving actually involves — the physical labor of it as much as the emotional weight. Critics have praised the book precisely for not softening the practical details of dying.

In the press

How the Consensus Score is calculated

Our Consensus Score is our own transparent editorial metric — not a user rating. It weighs each list by the credibility of its source, how recent the listing is, and any award status. Here is the full breakdown.

SourceAuthorityRecencyAwardContribution
The Guardian0.850.851.00×0.72
Weighted sum → Score0.7216

Similar consensus books

Because they appear on some of the same lists.

Abundance

Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

Flesh

David Szalay

Frequently asked

What lists is Death of an Ordinary Man on?

Death of an Ordinary Man appears on 1 list in our 2026 corpus, including The Guardian.

What is its Consensus Score?

Death of an Ordinary Man has a Consensus Score of 16 out of 100, our transparent editorial measure of how many credible lists agree on it.