Private Rites by Julia Armfield review – in deep water
Dysfunctional families and queer desire at the end of the world, in a compelling vision of climate breakdown
The Language of War by Oleksandr Mykhed review – ‘Eat, kill, grief, repeat’ reflections from Ukraine
A ferociously angry testimony from Ukraine on the impact of war, where even literature loses its power to console
Passiontide by Monique Roffey review – a passionate protest novel
Set on a Caribbean island, the follow-up to The Mermaid of Black Conch highlights the scale of violence against women
My Family: The Memoir by David Baddiel review – meet the parents
David Baddiel engagingly overshares about his outre childhood
Sleeping Dogs review – not quite total recall for Russell Crowe in over-the-top pulp-noir
Crowe plays an ex-cop receiving treatment for dementia who revisits one of his old cases, only to unearth some uncomfortable but entertaining memories
What Does Israel Fear from Palestine? by Raja Shehadeh review – in pursuit of peace
The lawyer, activist and author’s latest book divides into two halves – first an edited speech from Kyoto in 2016 and then an anguished exploration of the current conflict
Challenger by Adam Higginbotham review – chronicle of a disaster foretold
The story behind the explosion of the Nasa space shuttle in 1986 is a gripping, damning catalogue of underfunding, labyrinthine bureaucracy and fatal corner-cutting
House of Beckham by Tom Bower review – a symphony of snide
With little fresh detail on show, this biography offers instead a masterclass in insinuation and class-coded curiosities
George Sand: True Genius, True Woman review – a pleasure and an education
Writer Séverine Vidal and illustrator Kim Consigny tell the extraordinary life story of the French author, who cross-dressed and pricked male pomposity, with great care and humour
War by Louis-Ferdinand Céline review – disturbing, compelling, incomplete
A shellshocked soldier in Flanders embarks on a dreamlike journey in this savage fragment of a tale written in the 1930s by the controversial author of Journey to the End of the Night
These Foolish Things: A Memoir by Dylan Jones review – stars in his eyes
The former GQ editor’s memoir is a ‘precarious balancing act’, revealing parental abuse while emphasising his celebrity-heavy career
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden review – secrets and sex in postwar Europe
This remarkable debut novel explores the Netherlands’ failure to reckon with the fate of Dutch Jews alongside one woman’s reckoning with herself
God’s Ghostwriters by Candida Moss review – did enslaved scribes write the New Testament?
The theologian and journalist suggests that slaves in the Roman empire contributed to the core texts of Christianity in this refreshingly readable book
Bad Habit by Alana S Portero review – in search of acceptance
Vividly bringing to life the everyday struggles of trans people, this Almodóvar-endorsed bestseller, set in 1980s Madrid, is affecting and evocative
The Cursed Friend by Beatrice Salvioni review – rebels with a cause
The short-story writer’s debut novel, set in 1930s Italy, is a vibrant, Ferrante-esque tale of an intense relationship and revenge