At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop review – war and mental collapse
The International Booker prize winner is a brilliant, shifting tale of a Senegalese soldier’s descent into madness
You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone review – Nico as the gothic Garbo
Jennifer Otter Bickerdike’s biography is absorbing and informative but paints a flattering portrait of the enigmatic model turned singer
Last Best Hope by George Packer review – shrewd analysis of America’s ruptures
George Packer finds the US caught in a ‘cold civil war’ between incompatible versions of the country after its ‘near-death experience’ with Donald Trump
Last Best Hope review: George Packer on the state we’re in – and how to fix it
Like his hero, George Orwell, the Atlantic writer is not afraid to look to his own – liberals, the media – and prescribe harsh cures
Lost in Work by Amelia Horgan review – why so many people feel unfulfilled
When zero-hour contracts meet monetised side hustles and enforced fun, how do we demand fair pay and reclaim leisure from the clutches of capitalism?
Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo review – a journey into heritage
An accomplished novel that explores difference and belonging with a cool intensity
Preventable review: Andy Slavitt indicts Trump over Covid – but scolds us all too
The ex-Biden adviser is preaching to the converted. A deeper dive would have told more about why the disaster was possible
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker; The Good Neighbours by Nina Allan; The Maidens by Alex Michaelides; True Crime Story by Joseph Knox; and Lucky by Rachel Edwards
The Promise by Damon Galgut review – legacies of apartheid
The Booker-shortlisted novelist examines South Africa’s broken promises over the last three decades through the story of one white family
After the Fall by Ben Rhodes review – nostalgic for certainties
Barack Obama’s speechwriter considers America’s fall from grace, an unnerving attempt to discredit him and what the former president thinks now
Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz review – more than a gripping whodunnit
The Melbourne writer’s debut novel challenges the conventions of the crime genre, weaving feminism, philosophy and mortality throughout
Animal by Lisa Taddeo review – abrasive and unsparing
In the debut novel from the bestselling author of Three Women, a woman hunts down the traumas of her past
The Reason I Jump review – an empathic study of nonverbal autism
Documentary inspired by Japanese teenager’s bestselling book takes us into the world of young neurodivergent people across the world
How Women Can Save the Planet by Anne Karpf review – clear and invigorating
From water pilgrims to climate refugees, those who are suffering most from the climate crisis have done the least to cause it, argues this clear and inspiring analysis
Ghosted by Jenn Ashworth review – an unnerving love story
A woman’s life is derailed when her husband disappears in this darkly humorous yet terrifying tale