Baumgartner by Paul Auster review – love, ageing and loss

Auster’s alter-ego reflects on the mind-body problem and his much-missed wife in this slyly self-referential novel

The Revolutionary Temper by Robert Darnton review – a nation at breaking point

The intrigues and extravagance that led to the French revolution

My Father’s Secrets review – Holocaust pain unlocked in Jewish coming-of-age tale

Animated feature, based on Michel Kichka’s autobiographical graphic novel, explores the legacy of genocide from a sideways angle

Orbital by Samantha Harvey – an extraordinary tale of our place in the cosmos

Over the course of a day, six astronauts reflect on their relationship with Earth in Harvey’s profound and lyrical fifth novel

The Mystery of Mr E review – Sophie Hannah’s quirky musical murder mystery

Adapted from a school play by crime writer Hannah, this low-budget British whodunnit lacks the cinematic flair to match its clever songs and plotting

How They Broke Britain by James O’Brien review – a catalogue of disasters

No decent person could disagree with the radio host’s account of political failure in Britain. But what does he think needs to be done about it?

In brief: Playing Games; Benny the Blue Whale; The Darkness Manifesto – review

An emotive tale of two sisters, an odyssey into AI by a children’s author, and an argument in favour of a little less light

Beauty Is in the Street by Joachim C Häberlen review – Plastic People, pedal power and the strength of protest

An amiable history of countercultural agitators, from Amsterdam’s anti-car anarchists to Poland’s ‘revolution of dwarfs’, shows the myriad faces of postwar dissent

Aurora’s Sunrise review – remarkable story of genocide horror and survival

In archive interviews and painterly animated reconstrucions, Aurora Mardiganian recalls her experiences during the Armenian genocide – and how she escaped to the US and became a silent film star

Kinderland by Liliana Corobca review – a bleak but beautiful tale of survival

A 12-year-old girl is obliged to care for her younger siblings in this powerful novel about rural destitution on the edge of Europe

Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books

Michael Rosen returns with an adventurous French hound, while BBC sport presenter Damian Johnson offers inspiring football stories. Plus, a lion comes to tea and stays

Held by Anne Michaels review – still master of her universe

Dazzling lyrical snapshots recall the dreamlike style of Fugitive Pieces in the poet’s third novel, a fluid examination of history, memory and generational trauma

My Name Is Barbra review – Streisand’s story: mystical, messy, bawdy and funny

Barbra Streisand’s eloquent and commanding memoir reveals her insecurities along with a hunger for fame and complete control

A Shining by Jon Fosse review – a spiritual journey

The new Nobel laureate’s latest novella is a shimmering fable about a man lost in a dark forest

Network of Lies review: Brian Stelter on Fox News, Trump and Dominion

The former CNN host focuses on how the Murdochs paid for spreading conspiracies – and how they continue to flourish