The Hungry and the Fat by Timur Vermes review – broad satire of migration and hypocrisy
A fatuous reality TV star leads refugees on a televised exodus from Africa to Germany in this fascinating ‘what-if?’ novel
Wilmington’s Lie review: race, outrage and the roots of modern inequality
In 1898, David Zucchino writes, the North Carolina port city was thriving. Then, by train and streetcar, a lynch mob arrived
Figuring by Maria Popova review – distillation of a lifetime’s reading
The woman behind the Brain Pickings website traces the connections between scientists, artists and writers in a highly original survey of life, love and creativity
Inventory by Darran Anderson review – a childhood in Derry
A troubled Northern Ireland childhood recounted in objects – floppy disk, cassette, toy soldier
Grown Ups by Marian Keyes review – comic, convincing and true
The warmth and empathy of Keyes’s writing shine through this tale of family secrets revealed
Picture books on prescription
A scheme for GPs to recommend books for mental health and wellbeing is extending its reach to younger readers. Which are the best titles for anxiety, grief or online pressures?
These Silent Mansions by Jean Sprackland review – a life in graveyards
‘Where the stories are kept’ ... cemetery tales, filled with fascinating details and told with a poet’s skill
Love and Other Thought Experiments by Sophie Ward review – the power of empathy
This ingenious debut novel is a philosophical investigation into love, loss and the nature of reality
Twenty-First Century Socialism by Jeremy Gilbert review – an optimistic vision
Despondent lefties need not despair – a modern manifesto to expand the non‑capitalist space bit by bit
The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts review – a journey to the ‘End of Everything’
An obsession with finding ‘washed up and abandoned’ pianos leads to an impressive exploration of Siberia’s terrifying past
Strange Hotel by Eimear McBride review – an immersive inner journey
In a series of anonymous hotel rooms, a woman reflects on romantic loss and the instability of identity, in the latest novel from the Girl Is a Half-formed Thing author
A Bit of a Stretch by Chris Atkins review – how to survive in prison
An acclaimed documentary film-maker was given a five-year sentence for tax fraud. He details his time behind bars in a shocking, scathing, entertaining account
Year of the Rabbit by Tian Veasna review – art that speaks volumes
Exquisite images bear eloquent witness to a powerful account of the horrors of the Khmer Rouge
Wintering review – learning to love the cold
Katherine May brings a poet’s eye to this enthralling celebration of our fallow season
A Small Revolution in Germany by Philip Hensher – review
Youthful radicalism gone to seed in a tale that is diverting to a fault