Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moïra Fowley review – fairytale fun and gore
The YA author’s debut collection for adults includes some fine folkloric and ‘horror-adjacent’ short stories
Screen Time by Phillip Maciak review – why we’re hooked
A relatable but ultimately unsatisfying exploration of what staring at a phone all day does to the soul
Gays on Broadway by Ethan Mordden review – stage whispers
A gossipy, insightful survey of the (often closeted) gay contribution to American theatre
Orwell by DJ Taylor review – a very English socialist
George Orwell’s voice comes alive again in a biography drawing on newly discovered letters
The Choice by Michael Arditti review – what the rector saw
The timeless difficulty of doing the right thing is explored in this questioning novel of faith, desire, art and morality
An Uneasy Inheritance by Polly Toynbee review – living up to high ideals
What happens when good intentions meet good fortune? Politics melds with personal drama in this candid family history
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray review – a tragicomic triumph
A brilliantly funny, deeply sad portrait of an Irish family in crisis from the author of Skippy Dies
The Boogeyman review – deftly made yet derivative Stephen King horror
Host director Rob Savage makes the most of a ho-hum short story from the horror master
Children’s and teens roundup – the best new chapter books
A tale of folklore and magic from Angie Thomas, a hidden land of nature’s wonders and a town full of werewolf children are among the highlights this month
Into the Night: A Year With the Police review – why the fight against crime needs more care
Matt Lloyd-Rose deserves credit for serving as a volunteer in the Met, but his findings suggest that current policing only deepens the conflict it seeks to end
On Marriage by Devorah Baum review – endless love or life sentence?
The author and film-maker explores the landscape of matrimony in an erudite and entertaining quest for enlightenment
Love in a Time of Hate by Florian Illies review – dissolute years of a doomed generation
The experimental sex lives of the artists and thinkers of the roaring 20s are set against the burgeoning threat of fascism in this wickedly amusing and timely book
In brief: Because I Don’t Know What You Mean…; One Midsummer’s Day; Imagine a City – reviews
Josie Long’s first story collection brims with wry wit, Mark Cocker pays philosophical tribute to the swift, and Mark Vanhoenacker offers a pilot’s-eye view of urban life
Whether Violent Or Natural by Natasha Calder review – superbug apocalypse now
The author’s first solo debut novel is a terrifying and inventive tale of rampaging superbugs that keeps readers guessing
The Choice by Michael Arditti review – sins of the fathers
The novelist known for his focus on religion tackles child abuse within the church in this subtle and compelling modern morality tale