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
All Them Dogs by Djamel White review – murderous desires in the badlands of Dublin
Sparks fly in this homoerotic dance of desire and betrayal, from a powerful new voice in Irish literature
On Memoir by Blake Morrison review – lessons in life writing from a master
Don’t be fooled by the A-Z treatment – this thoroughgoing guide asks deep questions about the art of autobiography
My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein by Deborah Levy review – wonderfully entertaining
Biography mingles with fiction as Levy explores the avant-garde writer through the story of three female friends in Paris
Ghost-Eye by Amitav Ghosh review – a climate-crisis novel let down by its prose
A reincarnation mystery drives this exploration of spiritual interconnectedness in a globalised world
Walking Shadow by Greg Doran review – Shakespeare’s healing power
After the death of his husband, Antony Sher, the former RSC director embarks on a quest to see every First Folio