I Give You My Silence by Mario Vargas Llosa review – Nobel laureate’s final novel is a love letter to Peru

This fascinating, eccentric book becomes a quirky primer on Peruvian music and culture

Momo and the Time Thieves review – kids’ fantasy jaunt sticks the boot into capitalism

This new adaptation of Michael Ende’s 1973 fantasy novel contains some neat parables for our digitally nihilistic age, but even a mystical tortoise can’t save it it from monotony

You Won’t Get Free of It by Rachel Aviv review – a subtle study of the mother-daughter bond

The most complex of female relationships is thrown into sharp relief in this moving series of essays

QFWFQ review – If On a Winter’s Night a Traveller is taken in a bold new direction

Gregory Nussen spins Italo Calvino’s surrealist authorial intrusions into a fascinating, playful and political show

The Pout-Pout Fish review – Nick Offerman is best thing in kids cartoon adventure on the high seas

Offerman leads a talented cast, but this preschool picture book spinoff fails to inspire

RL Stine’s Pumpkinhead review – horror from Goosebumps writer has kid confined inside large fruit

Based on a short story by the Goosebumps author, this derivative but tautly plotted tale over-relies on Scooby-Doo-style sleuthery, and its truly unsettling turn comes too late

Is Beauty Good by Rosalind Belben review – the literary equivalent of free jazz

Combining hilarious detail with harsh observation, this rediscovered novel takes the reader on an exhilaratingly strange journey

John Berger: From Life by Tom Overton review – a vibrant biography of the pioneering critic

This multi-layered portrait is a fitting tribute to the man behind Ways of Seeing

Game of Thrones: The Mad King review – an action-packed saga of dry ice and fire

This prequel to the TV series has one joust after another, spectacular stagecraft and plenty of modern resonance

Cats review – it’s a jellicle jumble as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s moggies get the zoomies

Macavity and co are back, with the balance in Drew McOnie’s stylish revival tipped in favour of dance and acrobatics over storytelling

What Happened to Liberal Democracy? by Daron Acemoglu review – how to fix the system

The Nobel-winning economist takes aim at elites for no longer meeting the needs of the masses

The Silence of the Lambs review – Hannibal Lecter’s daring stage outing is a shock to the system

There are electrifying – and also queasy – moments in this version of the classic 90s horror about the interrogation of a psychotic psychiatrist by an FBI rookie

Now, Autonomy by Max Easton review – a sardonic yet compassionate take on millennial apathy

The author’s third novel to chronicle life in Sydney’s west follows a group of flawed friends trying to sustain meaning amid an ‘erosion in the world’

Thirst by John Robins audiobook review – an ex-drinker’s darkly funny journey

The comedian and broadcaster narrates the heartfelt and at times self-lacerating account of his relationship with alcohol

Practical Magic review – Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock’s 90s witchy fantasy still enchants

Preceding a long-awaited sequel, Griffin Dunne’s supernatural suburban romance gets a big-screen rerelease. With its romcom quirk, buttery cinematography and stabs of black comedy, it remains a zany gem