The Handmaid’s Tale: season two review – a menacing, harrowing return

The small-screen adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s disturbing dystopia remains intensely frightening, fleshing out its fascist theocracy with an extraordinary Elisabeth Moss at the center

The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg review – powerful personal essays

From married life to the murder of her husband … the Italian author shows a deft lightness of touch in these moving pieces written between 1944 and 1960

Dictator Literature by Daniel Kalder review – the deathly prose of dic-lit

Mein Kampf is drivel, but what about Stalin’s poetry and Mussolini’s bodice-ripper? And does an autocrat lurk within every dreadful writer?

Thrillers review: The Hunger; All the Beautiful Lies; Paper Ghosts

The bloody conclusion to a wagon train’s journey across the US, a beautifully told crime story and a dark tale of murderous obsession are the standouts this month

The Seagull review – all-star cast brings out the comedy in Chekhov

Packed with names such as Annette Bening, Elisabeth Moss and Saoirse Ronan, this adaptation of the classic play is brisk and funny

The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli review – a worthy heir to Stephen Hawking

Is time real or simply a useful measurement of change? The author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics takes us to the limits of our understanding with clarity and style

Alt-Right: From 4chan to the White House review – in search of a rightwing rabble

Mike Wendling’s history of the political group provides plenty of information, but doesn’t get to the root of its hatred

A Spy Named Orphan: The Enigma of Donald Maclean – review

Roland Philipps’s gripping retelling of the Soviet spy’s life reveals his appetite for self-destruction

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child review – thrilling Broadway transfer is magic

JK Rowling’s wildly popular stage show has been brought to life again with audacious production design and crowd-pleasing wonder

The Woman in White review – the Victorian classic updated for the #MeToo era

This latest Wilkie Collins adaptation strikes a very modern note while hanging on to the original’s gothic creepiness

In brief: Balancing Acts; Francis I; The Fire Court

Behind the scenes at the National Theatre, the life Francis I of France, and murder on the streets of London after the Great Fire

Gun Love review – trigger-happy in Trump’s America

Jennifer Clement’s novel about a trailer-park teen on a surreal journey across a gun-crazed land is superbly told

Property by Lionel Shriver review – assured and entertaining

Shriver brings her deadpan skills to a brilliant collection of stories about owning – and being owned

The Leavers by Lisa Ko – review

Ko’s wrenching debut novel about an immigrant Chinese mother and her son has profound resonances that reach far beyond its setting

A Higher Loyalty by James Comey – review

While spilling the beans on Trump, the ex-FBI director portrays himself as both high-minded and willing to share his own pratfalls