The Wonderful World that Almost Was by Andrew Durbin review – the queer artists who shaped New York cool
A tender but unflinching account of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek, forgotten stars of the 1960s scene
The Shadow of the Object by Chloe Aridjis review – one of the boldest writers at work in English today
This fable-like novella about technologies of illusion and a life-changing friendship in Mexico City is enchanting
Hotel Exile by Jane Rogoyska review – the remarkable story of a wartime institution
From haven for intellectuals fleeing Hitler to the HQ of the feared Abwehr, the changing fortunes of a Parisian icon
See You on the Other Side by Jay McInerney review – the clumsy finale of a classic New York series
The bright young things of 1992’s Brightness Falls are now in their 60s in this verbose, clunky novel that seems more interested in lifestyle than inner lives
Ghost Stories by Siri Hustvedt review – life after Paul Auster
What’s it like to lose your partner of more than 40 years? The novelist and essayist reflects on going from ‘we’ to ‘I’
Primavera review – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is school-of-Salieri backdrop for period musical biopic
The composer has a musical relationship with a teenage violinist in this lifeless adaptation of a novel by Tiziano Scarpa
The Illuminated Man by Christopher Priest and Nina Allan review – an unconventional portrait of JG Ballard
The biographer’s terminal illness and death is woven into this original and moving account of Ballard and his work
Son of Nobody by Yann Martel review – Life of Pi author discovers a long-lost poem from Troy
An epic poem about the Trojan war is merged with the domestic heartbreak of the scholar who discovers it in this ambitious, structurally problematic novel
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
The Keeper by Tana French; The Kindness of Strangers by Emma Garman; Mrs Shim Is a Killer by Kang Jiyoung; A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad; The Drowning Place by Sarah Hilary
The Dog’s Gaze by Thomas Laqueur review – the art of the canine, from Velázquez to Picasso
A clever and beautiful survey of dogs in painting, with a brilliant interpretation of their role at its heart
Griefdogg by Michael Winkler review – a cryptic, beguiling tale about a man who turns into a dog
Winkler’s latest novel is ambitious, compelling and bleakly comic; it scratches a metaphysical itch you didn’t realise you had
The Possibility of Tenderness by Jason Allen-Paisant audiobook review – meditations on nature and belonging
The poet reconnects with the landscape of the May Day Mountains in Jamaica where he grew up in a personal story of migration, race and rural life
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke review – the downfall of an all‑American tradwife
The premise – Instagram influencer is confronted by pioneer reality – is genius. But does this high-concept debut live up to the hype?
Communion by Jon Doyle review – a charged debut about sin and solace
A man who meant to be a priest is faced with a moral crossroads in this ambitious and affecting first novel
The Fallen by Louise Brangan review – an enraging account of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries
The horrifying story of the Catholic-run institutions that incarcerated thousands of women and girls