So Much For That by Lionel Shriver
This tale of the devastating effect of illness on relationships is turbo-charged with rage, says Lisa O'Kelly
The Dead Republic by Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle's fictional take on recent Irish history offers some vivid writing, writes Tim Adams
36 Arguments for the Existence of God by Rebecca Goldstein
This satire on academia and religion is crippled by its need to show how clever it is, says Jonathan Beckman
Speak for Britain!: A New History of the Labour Party by Martin Pugh
Roy Hattersley finds this history of his own party to be long on detail but short on analysis
Point Omega by Don DeLillo
DeLillo's latest is hypnotic, if sometimes baffling, says Hermione Hoby
Roberto Bolaño: The Last Interview & Other Conversations
The legend surrounding the late Roberto Bolaño is inflamed rather than explained in these playful interviews, says William Skidelsky
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers's account of one man's ordeal at the hands of US military officials in the wake of hurricane Katrina is a grim indictment of the Bush regime, says Valerie Martin
The Bishop’s Man by Linden MacIntyre
This existential thriller about sex scandals in the church is a worthy winner of Canada's Giller prize, says Rosalind Porter
Ruskin on Venice by Robert Hewison
Jonathan Glancey on architecture's true love story
Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato
Kate Webb admires a first novel narrated by a pubescent girl battling for the truth
Smile Though Your Heart is Breaking by Pauline Prescott
Pauline Prescott's story is one of remaining plucky and loyal through good times and bad. A national treasure, says Rachel Cooke
Solar by Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan excels at climate science but his one-dimensional protagonist makes you shudder says Jason Cowley
The Forgotten Highlander by Alistair Urquhart
The horrors that Alistair Urquhart endured at the hands of the Japanese are revealed after nearly 70 years, says Trevor Royle
Adventures on the High Teas by Stuart Maconie
An illuminating, fun and very readable attempt to pinpoint Middle England, says Euan Ferguson
Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon's a great family man, but it's his mistakes that make these essays worth reading, says Michael Sayeau