Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen review – spiritual successor to The Corrections
The pastor’s family at the heart of Franzen’s sixth novel – a bravura examination of the mores of liberal America in 1971 – are his most sympathetic creation to date
Uncontrolled Spread review: Trump’s first FDA chief on the Covid disaster
Scott Gottlieb has written a fine account of what went wrong and what we must do better next time
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins audiobook review – Rosamund Pike turns up the heat
A body on a houseboat and twists galore in this gripping thriller narrated by the Hollywood actor – plus this week’s other picks
Dinner Party: A Tragedy by Sarah Gilmartin review – family’s subtle poison
A finely observed Irish debut about a monstrous mother and dysfunctional siblings
My Secret Brexit Diary by Michel Barnier review – a British roasting
The EU’s chief negotiator found his UK counterparts bizarrely unfocused during the long haul to fix a Brexit deal – and believes they still don’t know what they’ve done
The Cause: a history of the American revolution for our own troubled time
In his new work on 1776 and all that, Joseph Ellis sees the roots of anti-government intransigence and conspiracy theories
Creature review – Akram Khan’s anticlimactic apocalypse
Starring the superb Jeffrey Cirio, Khan’s third work for ENB is full of urgent ideas. But you can’t tell what they are without reading the programme
Children’s books roundup – the best new picture books and novels
Foxes on the run; a feathered detective; the rescue of the Titanic; plus the best new YA novels
Dune review – David Lynch’s intergalactic epic shoots for the moon
There are moments of dreamlike brilliance in this extravagant fable of imperialism – provided you can stay awake to see them
Foundation review – a galaxy of money can’t save Apple’s Star Dreck
With a huge budget, a starry cast including Jared Harris and explosive interplanetary plot, this new sci-fi epic wants to be taken seriously. What a shame it feels so earnest and ropey
A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century review – self-help laced with pseudoscience
Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein attempt to show how human nature is at odds with modern society, but their science, and style, grates
The Green Knight review – Dev Patel rides high on sublimely beautiful quest
Director David Lowery conjures up visual wonders and metaphysical mysteries from the anonymously authored 14th-century chivalric poem
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr review – a joyous epic of love and survival
The Pulitzer winner follows an ancient text from the siege of Constantinople to a spaceship escaping the ruined Earth
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead review – a delicious heist novel
The double Pulitzer winner turns to crime with a tale of 1960s New York gangsters, rendered with superbly observed, affectionate, page-turning brio
‘I Know Who Caused Covid-19’ review – the global blame game
Zhou Xun and Sander Gilman show how fear and poor terminology have fuelled racial prejudice during the pandemic