War of the Beasts and the Animals, and In Memory of Memory by Maria Stepanova – review
The Russian poet’s eloquent writing is caught between a pursuit of the past and the meaninglessness of memorialising
Do Not Disturb review – the disturbing death of a Rwandan dissident
Michela Wrong uses the murder of Patrick Karegeya to focus her case against Rwanda’s leader Paul Kagame in this fascinating investigation
Effie Gray review – Emma Thompson’s entertaining take on a doomed Victorian marriage
Dakota Fanning performs with gusto in this slightly hammy account of John Ruskin and Effie Gray’s marital disaster
First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami review – crowd-pleaser in cruise control
The Japanese author’s prose remains wildly popular, but complacency tarnishes his new story collection
Male Tears by Benjamin Myers; Lairies by Steve Hollyman – review
Benjamin Myers’s multifaceted short stories grapple with the nature of masculinity, while Steve Hollyman’s brash whodunnit focuses on the fallout from a blokes’ night out
In brief: The Book of Difficult Fruit; Early Morning Riser; Sex Robots & Vegan Meat – reviews
A foray into the world of tricky fruit, unquiet life in small-town Michigan, and a savvy guide to the science of life
Four Hundred Souls, edited by Ibram X Kendi and Keisha N Blain review – a resounding history of African America
In this rich anthology spanning 1619-2019, 90 writers challenge the myths of America’s past
Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer review – a thrill ride to the brink of extinction
The author of Annihilation delivers a slick sci-fi thriller that pitches a tech boffin into a deadly eco-mystery
Beautiful Things: A Memoir by Hunter Biden review – confessions of a hellraiser
The US president’s guilt-ridden son relates his life of excess in detail, but sadly lacks any self-awareness
The Agenda review: how the supreme court became an existential threat to US democracy
Ian Millhiser offers a perfect short read for a key moment in US constitutional history, after Republicans hijacked the court
Beeswing by Richard Thompson review – beyond Fairport Convention
Folk rock, finding a voice and confronting tragedy ... a gripping account of the early career of a great songwriter and guitarist
On the House review: John Boehner’s lament for pre-Trump Republicans
The former speaker’s memoir will not make him any new friends in a party under the far-right’s sway
The best recent science fiction and fantasy – reviews roundup
Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff VanderMeer; Under the Blue by Oana Aristide; Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki; and All the Murmuring Bones by AG Slatter
Lev’s Violin by Helena Attlee review – a musical quest
The search for the origins of an exotic-sounding instrument leads to Cremona, home of the great Antonio Stradivari
The High House by Jessie Greengrass review – apocalypse and family love
The joy of raising a child, even on the other side of disaster, is intercut with our current slide towards climate chaos