Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century by Joya Chatterji review – charming, genre-defying study

The academic’s discursive, wonderfully enjoyable account of South Asia’s journey from a British colony to three independent nations is a classic

In brief: The God of Good Looks; Rental Person Who Does Nothing; Starling – reviews

A punchy romance with much to say about Caribbean life; a lazy Japanese guy muses on meaning and connection; and a memorable coming-of-age novel

Pet by Catherine Chidgey review – sly psychological thriller

The New Zealander’s latest novel, set in 1980s suburban, Catholic Wellington, moves to a dark denouement powered by lingering uncertainty

Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein review – a masterly meditation on life as a survivor

One of Granta’s best young British novelists of 2023 weaves an unsettling tale of abuse, prejudice and blame told by the ficklest of narrators

Hello, Bookstore review – life-affirming documentary about a US literary haven

A venerable Massachusetts bookshop and its hippy owner struggle through the pandemic in AB Zax’s engagingly quirky portrait

Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan review – a page-turning tale of scandal and misery

Tabloid journalism and a mother whose daughter is suspected of murder are the catalyst for this compelling, compassionate follow-up to Acts of Desperation

The Black Eden by Richard T Kelly review – compelling saga of masculinity, greed and courage

This decades-spanning tale of cross-class friendships and the discovery of North Sea oil is action-packed and panoramic

Unafraid review: Kari Lake as election denier, birther … and Trump VP?

The former TV host refuses to accept Arizona defeat, spews hate against LGBTQ+ Americans and idolizes the ex-president

Germany in the World by David Blackbourn review – a rich and full-throated account of the past 500 years

From the intellectual giants who enriched the west to the descent into dictatorship and war, the story of Germany’s global impact – up to its modern rebirth – is told with real verve

Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto review – brief encounters

A Japanese man provides a raft of unusual services that lay bare the bathos and banality of contemporary life

The best recent poetry – review roundup

Bad Diaspora Poems by Momtaza Mehri; Wound Is the Origin of Wonder by Maya C Popa; The Recycling by Joey Connolly; Crisis Actor by Declan Ryan

The Beasts of Paris by Stef Penney review – radicals and romantics

The horror and hedonism of the siege of Paris are dazzlingly evoked in a gripping novel of self-discovery

The Days Toppled Over by Vidya Madabushi review – the plight of Australia’s international students

This eye-opening novel follows an Indian woman’s search for her missing brother in Sydney

What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman review

A charming and deeply researched study of the science and cultural significance of this most mysterious of birds

The Three Graces by Amanda Craig review – a fearless comedy of errors

The tale of three British expat women in Tuscany takes an unsparing look at the indignities and injustices of old age