Monument Maker by David Keenan review – an experimental compendium
Science fiction, theology, puzzles and a whole lot of sex … this mammoth novel is one extended stylish flourish that threatens to lose the plot
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner review – a self-deprecating and honest memoir
Grief, anxiety and the many flavours of instant noodles suffuse this story of loss, growth and mother-daughter love
Moonbound review – a mish-mash of folkloric hijinks as kids take trip to the moon
This German-Austrian animation aimed at younger children borrows from vaguely familiar sources
The best recent poetry – review roundup
Learning to Sleep by John Burnside; A Year in the New Life by Jack Underwood; Lyonesse by Penelope Shuttle; The Wild Fox of Yemen by Threa Almontaser; and Ballad of a Happy Immigrant by Leo Boix
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak review – superlative storytelling
A tale of love and division moves between postcolonial Cyprus and London, exploring themes of generational trauma and belonging
The Others by Mark Brandi review – sanctuary from a plague or something more sinister?
Author’s third novel is an uneasy, haunting tale of fear and isolation, told through the eyes of a child and let down only by its uneven pace
Borges and Me by Jay Parini review – around Scotland in a Morris Minor
A brilliantly unlikely travel caper lovingly recalls a road trip with a literary giant in yellow satin pyjamas
Paul by Daisy Lafarge review – a beautifully observed debut
A young female graduate is blind to the grim truth about the older man she falls for when she takes a job on his farm in the Pyrenees
John Stonehouse, My Father by Julia Stonehouse review – the story of the runaway MP
In 1974 the Labour MP faked his death and fled to Australia – now, the daughter he left behind raises a stubbornly spirited defence
The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah review – extraordinarily dynamic
A sensitive and honest collection of interviews explores freedom and sexuality beyond every conceivable stereotype
Billy Summers by Stephen King review – his best book in years
The monsters are all too human in this noir tale of an assassin on one last job
The Wild Fox of Yemen by Threa Almontaser review – darting between two worlds
The Yemeni American poet’s debut collection is a dazzling exploration of a life caught between different cultures
Girlhood by Melissa Febos review – when a girl becomes a woman
A former dominatrix is eviscerating in her exploration of the sexual submission required as young women mature
The Brilliant Abyss by Helen Scales; Below the Edge of Darkness by Edith Widder – reviews
Two books on the mysteries of the deep ocean take very different approaches in stressing the urgent need for conservation
Her Heart for a Compass by Sarah Ferguson review – Mills & Boon debut is chaste good fun
The romance of her heroine’s ‘rebellious’ red hair is much more of a feature in the Duchess of York’s historical novel than sex