Long Island by Colm Tóibín review – happy ever after?
The Irish novelist is at the height of his powers with a sequel to Brooklyn, set twenty years later
A life in quotes: Alice Munro
Writer known as ‘Canadian Chekhov’ captured the desire and darkness of ordinary life in rural Canada, particularly for women
Alice Munro, Nobel winner and titan of the short story, dies aged 92
Acclaimed for her accounts of the darkness and desire found in everyday life, ‘the Canadian Chekhov’ has died, having suffered from dementia for more than a decade
Crime and thrillers of the month – review
A surprise final novel from the amazing mind of the late Mo Hayder; a race against time between a father and the FBI; and a knowing riff on the premise of Jurassic Park
All Fours by Miranda July review – a miraculous midlife road trip
The US film-maker and artist’s wide-ranging second novel is a funny, sad and revealing journey of maternal self-discovery
The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya review – sharp generational shame game
A young female playwright publicly lampoons her novelist father in this astute tale of family differences
The Coast Road by Alan Murrin review – love and the limitations placed on women
The author’s accomplished debut boasts beautifully nuanced characterisation in its compassionate study of small-town life
Paul Lynch: ‘When you win the Booker, you are told you won’t write for a year’
The Irish novelist on navigating success shortly after a cancer diagnosis and a marriage breakdown, the renaissance in Irish writing, and how his ‘tragic worldview’ fits the times
Deborah Levy: ‘Writing and swimming help each other’
The novelist and memoirist on stamina and solitude, the influence of surrealist art on her work, and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s revelatory travel writing
On my radar: Daniel Handler, AKA Lemony Snicket, on his cultural highlights
The US children’s author and novelist on a sublime musical trio, how spices reinvigorated his cooking, an addictive ‘mid-19th century’ BBC panel show and being floored by a new jazz track
The Ministry of Time author Kaliane Bradley: ‘It was just so much fun’
A nerdy literary parlour game that started in lockdown has turned into one of the most-hyped debuts of the year - soon to be a series on BBC1. Its author talks about how her obsession with a long-dead polar explorer helped her find a way to write about family trauma
‘This is much more intimate’: Colm Tóibín on writing a sequel to Brooklyn, 15 years on
The Irish author on the follow-up to his bestselling novel, being blanked at the Oscars and the joys of giving up drinking
Three Burials by Anders Lustgarten review – a madcap satire on the refugee crisis
A nurse battles to give a dead Somali refugee a dignified burial as the English police set out to retrieve his body and cover up their crime
Leïla Slimani: ‘Salman Rushdie’s books made me feel I could become a writer’
The Lullaby author on identifying with Jo in Little Women, being terrified of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and why we’re still in debt to Steinbeck
Safe Haven by Shankari Chandran review – a damning indictment of Australia’s refugee policy
The Miles Franklin winner has somehow created a novel that feels warm and generous even when provoking feelings of discomfort and shame