What Am I, a Deer? by Polly Barton review – shyness, obsession and the joy of karaoke
The feverish interiority of a young woman abroad is captured with offbeat wit and disarming candour in the first novel from the translator of Butter
Lady C by Guy Cuthbertson review – how Lady Chatterley’s Lover rocked Britain
A history of the social and cultural impact of DH Lawrence’s novel shows how it inspired comedy as well as controversy
The Given World by Melissa Harrison review – a stunning tale of rural life for an era of ecological crisis
Eerie omens haunt this absorbing group portrait set over six months in an English village
One Leg on Earth by ’Pemi Aguda review – a powerfully eerie portrait of Lagos
A young pregnant woman is assailed by dark visions of sisterhood in a novel splicing eco-horror, cosmic distress and ideas of the monstrous feminine
Iran and the Revolution by Homa Katouzian review – how the Islamic Republic was born
A landmark new account of the 1979 revolution provides much needed context for current events
Homebound by Portia Elan review – a Cloud Atlas-like puzzle-box novel
From 1980s Cincinnati into the interstellar darkness, the stories of four women interconnect across the centuries in a gentle hymn to found families
The best recent poetry – review roundup
Yiewsley by Daljit Nagra; Mer de Glace by Małgorzata Lebda; The Intentions of Thunder by Patricia Smith; Cherry Blossom at Nightbreak by Rishi Dastidar; Dark Night by St John of the Cross, translated by Martha Sprackland
A Rising of the Lights by Steve Toltz review – a darkly funny take on the male loneliness epidemic
A miserable misogynist is on a quest for redemption in Toltz’s fourth novel, which fizzes with dynamic prose but struggles to engender empathy for its protagonist
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams audiobook review – the insider story that Meta tried to stifle
The author reads her account of her time as a senior executive at Facebook with a mixture of dark humour and astonishment at the working culture in which she finds herself
Hey, Good Morning, How Are You? by Martina Hefter review – a hit in Germany that falls flat in English
The premise of this novel about a ballet dancer who baits love scammers into conversation is great – but the story feels overwritten and underfelt
From Life Itself by Suzy Hansen review – Turkey in the age of Erdoğan
This portrait of everyday life in an Istanbul neighbourhood buffeted by change has far wider relevance
What If Reform Wins by Peter Chappell review – a massive wake-up call
This ‘nonfiction thriller’ takes us through exactly what would happen if Nigel Farage won his dreamed-of majority
Devotions by Lucy Caldwell review – short stories that are frightening, passionate and comforting too
The Northern Irish writer explores music and family, memory and duty in this stunning collection of sharply observed tales
Having Spent Life Seeking by Kae Tempest review – painfully earnest tale of trauma and transition
An ex-offender searches for meaning and beauty in the second novel from the spoken-word performer
This Dark Night by Deborah Lutz review – Emily Brontë’s world
Tactile details and a no-nonsense approach make this biography a refreshing change from more lurid fare