The Ottomans by Marc David Baer review – when east met west

This highly readable account encourages us to see the Ottoman empire as an inseparable part of the history of Europe

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan – between happiness and ruin

In this tender novel by the renowned short-story writer, a father confronts the truth of one of Ireland’s infamous Magdalene laundries

The Lemon Table review – Julian Barnes’ stories of mortality and musicality

Ian McDiarmid is outstanding in two pieces, one as an angry audience member and one a composer’s coda, directed by Michael Grandage

Love and Virtue by Diana Reid review – sex, shame and the social minefields of campus life

Reid’s debut is a multilayered page-turner on power, unrequited love and campus rape culture, wrapped in a coming-of-age narrative

Dark Neighbourhood by Vanessa Onwuemezi review – wildly original

This debut collection of stories uses visceral language and a disruptive style to explore the challenges of knowing ourselves and others

Becoming Abolitionists by Derecka Purnell review – the case for defunding the police

This compelling book from a lawyer and writer who grew up amid violence argues that prevention is better than cure

How our art critic ended up in the Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules – review

From Viz to the fourth plinth to David Bowie, the perennially upstart comic’s influence rampages on – and even our own Adrian Searle can’t get off scot-free

Dune review – Denis Villeneuve’s awe-inspiring epic is a moment of triumph

Villeneuve’s take on the sci-fi classic starring Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya has been given room to breathe, creating a colossal spectacle

What’s New Pussycat? review – high-voltage collision of two Tom Joneses

The 18th-century novel and Welsh crooner meet on 1960s Carnaby Street in a spirited jukebox musical

Dorian review – dizzying descent into Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece

This experimental adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray is a riotous homage to queer culture

Reprieve by James Han Mattson review – ‘horror shows who we are’

A murder in a grisly escape room is brilliantly described – but the violence of a bigoted society is where the true nightmares lurk

Animal Vegetable Criminal by Mary Roach review – when the natural world breaks the law

We complain when wildlife intrudes into human spaces – but who are the real interlopers?

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout review – the return of Lucy Barton

In the third book in the series, the emotional panorama of a long relationship is beautifully observed as Lucy reconnects with her ex-husband

Brief Encounter review – sparkling revival of Emma Rice’s forbidden romance

This polished production brings Rice’s innovative adaptation of the classic film to life, with an electric central partnership and personality to spare

Picture books for children – reviews

This month’s best illustrated stories, including a fiendish feline, a haunted house and a boy who finds a polar bear