Female, Nude by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett review – a seductive drama of art and rivalry
Tensions simmer when a struggling artist joins her wealthy friends for a hen week on an exotic Greek island
Gordon Brown by James Macintyre review – a very different kind of politician
A new biography reveals Brown to be a man of exceptional vision and probity – what a contrast with today’s politics
Lord of the Flies review – Jack Thorne’s take on the classic is nowhere near the original’s power
The acting is absolutely excellent, but the script isn’t great. This show lacks the dread of William Golding’s novel
The best recent poetry – review roundup
Afterburn by Blake Morrison; Into the Hush by Arthur Sze; Unsafe by Karen McCarthy Woolf; Only Sing by John Berryman; Lamping Wild Rabbits by Simon Maddrell; Dream Latitudes by Alia Kobuszko
Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman review – a perfect fairytale for our times
What does good living look like? With his marriage and career in meltdown, a man tries to get back to nature in this thought-provoking fable
Jean by Madeleine Dunnigan review – sex and teenage secrets
Queer self-discovery drives this powerful coming-of-age debut set in a bohemian 1970s school
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë audiobook review – Aimee Lou Wood reads the romance of the moment
As Emerald Fennell’s provocative adaptation hits screens, this narration from the White Lotus actor reminds us of the brilliance of Brontë’s tempestuous novel
Bugger by Michael Mohammed Ahmad review – tender, unflinching and difficult to read
The author’s fourth novel offers a devastating day in the life of a 10-year-old boy who cannot be kept safe
Leaving Home by Mark Haddon review – blistering memoir of a loveless childhood
The Curious Incident author describes the upbringing that shaped him – and for which he can’t help feeling nostalgia
On the Future of Species by Adrian Woolfson review – are we on the verge of creating synthetic life?
A genomic entrepreneur’s guide to the coming revolution in biology raises troubling questions about ethics and safety
Crux by Gabriel Tallent review – a passionate portrait of teenage climbers
The follow-up to My Absolute Darling, this tale of best friends who dream of a better life features exquisite sports writing and a lovable heroine – but the plotting is unconvincing
White River Crossing by Ian McGuire review – colonial greed drives a doomed hunt for gold
The author of The North Water vividly captures bleak beauty and brutish appetites on an 18th-century expedition into the frozen wilds of Canada
Sham review – Takashi Miike revisits infamous ‘murder teacher’ trial in unflinching courtroom drama
Based on a real-life case of a teacher charged with abusing a child, Japan’s master of the extreme doesn’t sit on the fence in this two-sided retelling
The Good Society by Kate Pickett review – the Spirit Level author takes stock
A whistle-stop tour of the greatest hits of progressive policy fails to take account of a central conundrum
Rebel English Academy by Mohammed Hanif review – a sure-fire Booker contender
This funny and subversive novel reckons with life under martial law in late-70s Pakistan