People Who Like Dogs Like People Who Like Dogs review – a touching tale of the canine-human community
Journalist Nick Duerden finds a puppy provides entry into an unexpected new social world at his local park
The week in theatre: G; The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; The Real Thing – review
Reality is up for debate in Tife Kusoro’s rapid-fire new drama, David Eldridge’s nuanced take on John le Carré, and Tom Stoppard’s most loving play
In brief: Odyssey; Good Nature; Listen for the Lie – review
Stephen Fry is at his best in the last of his quartet of Greek myths; new insights into how the natural world boosts our health; and a suspected killer is the subject of small-town gossip
Annihilation by Michel Houellebecq review – deepfakes, sex acts and cyber-attacks
In his sometimes enjoyable longest novel yet, the author’s obsession with sex and desire competes for attention with his usual grandstanding and an intricate, Dan Brown-like pulp mystery
The Golden Road by William Dalrymple review – when India ruled the world
A dazzling account of the trade that enriched the subcontinent and allowed Romans to enjoy fabulous clothes, ivory, emeralds – and a dash of pepper
The best recent poetry – review roundup
The Wickedest by Caleb Femi; Signs, Music by Raymond Antrobus; The Keelie Hawk by Kathleen Jamie; Scattered Snows, to the North by Carl Phillips
American Mother by Colum McCann with Diane Foley audiobook review – grit in the face of unspeakable cruelty
Foley’s powerful memoir, narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis, details the life and death of her son, James Foley, who was beheaded by Islamic State terrorists
Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd review – hugely enjoyable cold war espionage
This cinematic tale of globe-trotting adventure marks the beginning of a new series
The First Friend review – one of history’s greatest monsters reimagined in jet-black satire
A toxic friendship between a Soviet despot and his chauffeur is the basis for a novel that channels Armando Iannucci with a laconically Australian twist
The Women Behind the Door by Roddy Doyle review – hilarity and hard times
In the third Paula Spencer novel, set during lockdown, mother and daughter are haunted by a history of violence, but revel in some late-life freedom
Hope I Get Old Before I Die by David Hepworth review – living legends
From McCartney to Dylan and the Stones, this portrait of rock longevity mixes fascinating detail with rash claims – but is never less than entertaining
Medusa of the Roses by Navid Sinaki review – noir debut of forbidden love
The fantasies of myth are a channel to explore queer life in modern-day Iran
On Leadership by Tony Blair – working to rule
The ex-PM offers sound advice for leaders, but fails to challenge his own thinking and is myopic on the risks of AI
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner review – a thrilling novel of ideas
An American spy infiltrates a commune of eco-activists in France in this Booker-listed exploration of ideology and sensation
Queer review – Daniel Craig is needy, horny and mesmeric in Guadagnino’s erotic drama
Craig plays an American expat living indolently in Mexico City in this sometimes uproarious adaptation of William Burroughs’ autobiographical novel