New Zealander Eleanor Catton , 28 , won Man Booker Prize for ` ` The Stranger '' The murder mystery is set on New Zealand 's West Coast during the 1860s gold rush . Catton is three years younger than the previous youngest winner . Catton said she had drawn inspiration for her novel from classics including `` The Brothers Karamazov , '' `` Crime and Punishment '' and `` Moby-Dick , '' and drawn heavily on archived newspapers of the period for her research . At 600 pages , her book was also the longest novel to win the prestigious prize .
New Zealander Eleanor Catton , 28 , won Man Booker Prize for ` ` The Stranger '' The murder mystery is set on New Zealand 's West Coast during the 1860s gold rush . Catton is three years younger than the previous youngest winner . At 600 pages , her book was also the longest novel to win the prestigious prize .