The best recent translated fiction – review roundup
Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami; All Flesh by Ananda Devi; The White Desert by Luis López Carrasco; The Home of the Drowned by Elin Anna Labba
Prestige Drama by Séamas O’Reilly review – brilliant wry comedy of Derry and the shadow of the past
A British and American film crew descend on the Northern Irish city to film a drama about the Troubles, in a keenly observed and snappily written debut
Capture by Amanda Lohrey review – a superb novel about a study of alien abductees
The Miles Franklin winner’s plot teeters on the edge of profound silliness, but it’s also a vehicle for making meaning of our lived experiences – and those of others
The Book of Birds by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris audiobook review – a love letter to our feathered friends
This compendium profiles 49 of Britain’s threatened species, with each entry featuring a prose poem evoking the unique qualities of each bird and their meticulously recorded call
Kingfisher by Rozie Kelly review – lust at first sight
Shortlisted for the Women’s prize, this story of a writer’s infatuation with an older woman begins with bracing verve
Escaping Babylon by Jesse Bernard review – an intimate history of Black British music
A personal exploration of the sounds that defined a community, from Soul II Soul to Dizzee Rascal
What We Ask Google by Simon Rogers review – the secrets of our search history
The company’s data editor trawls through billions of queries to deliver a portrait of the world’s preoccupations
Fieldwork As a Sex Object by Meena Kandasamy review – story of a deepfake sex tape
The author of When I Hit You returns with a pithy, savagely funny tale of online shaming and the Indian manosphere
Leonora in the Morning Light review – pioneering British artist who fled convention for the surrealists
From Paris to Mexico, Leonora Carrington’s extraordinary life is retold with intelligence and restraint, though not quite enough imagination
Fairyland review – moving memoir of queer parenting and new kinds of family in 70s San Francisco
Andrew Durham’s tender adaptation of Alysia Abbott’s book finds warmth, humour and heartbreak in an unconventional family unit shaped by love and loss
Crossing the Wine Dark Sea by Emily Wilson review – a masterclass in translation
The polarising translator of the Odyssey and the Iliad sets out her philosophy in this fascinating collection
A Billion Years of Sex Differences by Steve Stewart-Williams review – what we get wrong about men and women
A psychologist wades into controversial territory in this counterintuitive study of nature, nurture and gender
Whistler by Ann Patchett review – a saccharine story of reunion
A woman’s encounter with the stepfather she hasn’t seen for decades leads to a revived bond – but is it all too perfect?
The Birthday Party review – grimly compulsive unhappy occasion in deepest France
Cannes film festival: This could be better paced but the crisis which descends on an up-against-it dairy farm is delivered by some very memorable goons
Children and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels
A bunny who loves to bake, illustrated poems about amazing animals and a YA verse novel of dancefloor salvation