In brief: Missing Persons; Compendium of the Occult; Under the Eye of the Big Bird – review
A very personal view of an Irish scandal; a comprehensive survey of mystical beliefs; and a dystopian sci-fi novel where humanity is on the brink
Dare I Say It by Naomi Watts review – a Hollywood star’s hot years
The A-lister’s menopause memoir may well be a celebrity book too far on the subject, offering a ‘catalogue of woe’ combined with lame advice
The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji review – women on the edge
This multigenerational saga of an Iranian family fleeing to the US during the 1979 revolution is both funny and poignant
Children’s and teens roundup – the best new picture books and novels
Animal magic, little dinosaurs, dangerous strangers, death-flies and zombies, four lost girls who live wild in the woods and more
The Peepshow by Kate Summerscale audiobook review – postwar true crime
Nicola Walker narrates the account of the 10 Rillington Place murders in the 50s – and the macabre media whirlwind that followed
House of Huawei by Eva Dou review – bad connection
A fascinating insight into a Chinese telecoms giant and its detractors
Unfinished Business by Shankari Chandran review – page-turning political thriller from Miles Franklin winner
The award-winning author has hit a more commercial note with this nuanced thriller about a CIA agent investigating the assassination of a journalist in Sri Lanka
My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel review – queer love in Pinochet’s Chile
The romance between a former sex worker and a young revolutionary is explored in this novel of transformation and resilience
The Grammar of Angels by Edward Wilson-Lee review – spellbound
The short, blazing life of Italian philosopher Pico della Mirandola
The Gorgeous Inertia of the Earth by Adrian Duncan review – the meaning of beauty
A sculptor embarks on a philosophical quest in this revelatory tale of love and loss, exploring our relationship with the divine
Sweat by Emma Healey review – from trauma to treadmill
A personal trainer puts her abusive ex-boyfriend through his paces in a revenge tale from the author of Elizabeth Is Missing
Friends in Youth by Minoo Dinshaw review – parallel lives in England’s civil war
A clear-eyed look at two friends who took pivotal roles in the war that split the nation
The Book of George by Kate Greathead review – male misadventures
This wryly comic tale follows the lives of a stunted antihero and his long-suffering girlfriend
The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir by Edmund White review – a glorious celebration of queer love
In frank and hilarious style, the author recounts the significant encounters that helped make him who he is
Blackwater Lane review – medieval mansion is the star in haunted house stalker thriller
A teacher becomes increasingly paranoid as she roams around her fabulous home and gardens in this flimsy adaptation of BA Paris’s novel The Breakdown