Suggested in the Stars by Yōko Tawada review – a linguistic odyssey
The Japanese novelist explores the relationship between language and national identity, in the second part of her Scattered All Over the Earth trilogy
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty review – secrets and lies in Maine
The virtues of truth-telling are explored in this tale of one man’s need to confront and reveal his past
The American No by Rupert Everett review – blackly comic short stories
The actor, writer and director mines his own backlog of unmade projects to create an exhilarating collection
Didion & Babitz by Lili Anolik review – friendship and rivalry in LA
The journalist and author of Hollywood’s Eve makes no pretence of impartiality as she charts the difficult relationship between two chroniclers of California
Killing Time by Alan Bennett review – a cut above
From afternoon sherry to sex with the handyman in the lawnmower shed, Alan Bennett takes a wry look at lockdown life in a care home
V13 by Emmanuel Carrère review – harrowing account of the Paris attacks trial
A chronicle of the largest criminal case in French history from a master of the genre
My Brilliant Career review – this Miles Franklin musical is a funny, feminist triumph
Kala Gare is a force of nature as Sybylla, spurning suitors in order to live a writer’s life, in a musical that spans pub rock, hip-hop and sweeping solos
Young adult books roundup – reviews
A dark fantasy in the vein of Alan Garner, a raw but hopeful tale of teenage alcoholism, and a cosy romcom with a neurodivergent angle are among this month’s selection
The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe review – a blue murder mystery
Set during Liz Truss’s premiership, Coe’s multilayered study of how things quickly fell apart is a whodunnit with a villain hiding in plain sight
We Who Wrestle With God by Jordan Peterson review – a return to God… by way of the Brothers Grimm and The Lion King
The Canadian psychologist’s zealous exegesis of the Bible as a moral rulebook for life is long-winded and out of touch
The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel review – the great scientist who created her own school
A fresh and feminist study of the pioneering Nobel laureate reveals her impact on the women she mentored and set on the path to prominence
Her Lotus Year by Paul French review – Wallis Simpson’s Shanghai story
A new account of the months Simpson spent in China debunks the well-worn gossip about sexual adventures and opium addiction and even invites admiration for a ‘buccaneering’ woman
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami review – a lack of magic and meaning
Murakami’s 15th novel retreads a form of magical realism that hasn’t evolved
Morning and Evening by Jon Fosse review – the Nobel laureate’s mystical account of where we begin and end
In this republished novella from 2000 about a fisherman and his son, the Norwegian writer captures the puzzlement and wonder of the human condition
In brief: Who Owns Football?; The Caretaker; The Land in Winter
A deep dive into football’s puppet masters; an evocative slice of Americana; and another tour de force from Pure author Andrew Miller