That year’s change sparked fears among some Britons that it would become a U.S-dominated prize. That hasn’t happened, yet. There have been two American winners, Paul Beatty’s “The Sellout” in 2016 and George Saunders’ “Lincoln in the Bardo” in 2017.

The prize, subject to intense speculation and a flurry of betting, usually brings the victor a huge boost in sales and profile.

This year’s shortlist includes four debut novelists — Doshi, Cook, Stuart and Taylor — and omits high-profile books including Anne Tyler’s “Redhead by the Side of the Road” and “The Mirror and the Light,” the conclusion of Hilary Mantel’s acclaimed Tudor trilogy. Mantel won the Booker for both its predecessors, “Wolf Hall” and “Bring up the Bodies.”

Thriller writer Lee Child, one of the judges, said Mantel’s book was “an absolutely wonderful novel.”

“But as good as it was, there were some books that were better,” he said.