We Are Not One review: assured history of Israel’s place in US politics
To Eric Alterman, ‘Israel is a red state’ while ‘US Jewry is blue’. Like so much else, Donald Trump has disrupted that dynamic
Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles audiobook review – a cosy mystery with charm
Reverend Richard Coles captures the rhythms of English village life in his reading of his debut novel
The best recent poetry – review roundup
Embark by Sean O’Brien; Liquid Flesh: New and Selected Poems by Brenda Shaughnessy; Visions & Feed by Maria Sledmere; Improvised Explosive Device by Arji Manuelpillai; Forevernoon by Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir
Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin review – addictive short stories
The Argentinian author explores domestic suspense and psychological imbalance in a disturbing and compelling collection
Too Much by Tom Allen review – life after losing Dad
Known for his arch humour, the comedian Tom Allen paints a moving portrait of his father and their relationship
The Easy Life by Marguerite Duras review – experiments of youth
Family life is fraught with suspicion, sexual tension and betrayal in this early novel, translated into English for the first time
Papyrus by Irene Vallejo review – how books built the world
From Alexandria to Oxford, a kaleidoscopic history of the written word
Ghost Music by An Yu review – the meaning of silence
A former pianist is haunted by the life she could have led in this intriguing exploration of music, self-knowledge and marital discord
Body Am I by Moheb Costandi review – the new science of self-consciousness
What gives us our sense of self? A fresh take on how the brain and body are connected offers answers
Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy review – a slow-motion study of obliteration
The therapy sessions of a doomed maths genius – McCarthy’s first female protagonist in 50 years - make for a grim companion volume to The Passenger
Hilma af Klint: A Biography by Julia Voss review – portrait of the painter as a mystic
The Swedish abstract artist who conversed with the dead is described as a woman years ahead of her time in this scholarly, sympathetic study
Orlando review – Emma Corrin is glorious in a giddy, heartfelt show
In Neil Bartlett’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s wild-goose chase through time, Corrin shines as the hero who falls asleep as a man and wakes as a woman
The Quintessential Quintuplets review – sisters compete for love in charming anime
The premise of a high-school tutor forced to choose which of his students to marry could have been disastrous but this romantic fantasy film avoids ickiness
Cells: Memories for My Mother by Gavin McCrea review – home truths that really hurt
Provoked by a homophobic assault, this searing memoir, which ranges unsparingly over personal tragedy and McCrea’s difficult relationship with his mother, is one of the best books of the year
My Life in Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler review – the joys of jellyfish, sturgeon and whales
The gifted science writer’s lyrical collection doesn’t always flow smoothly between reverie and fact, but remains intriguing