Concerning the Future of Souls: 99 Stories of Azrael by Joy Williams review – brilliantly deadpan

A master of the short story explores mortality and beyond, through these funny, boundlessly intelligent visions of the angel of death

No Small Thing by Orlaine McDonald review – a poignant tale of mothers and daughters

This astute debut novel set on a south London estate charts the impact of trauma and poverty on three generations of Black women

Badenheim 1939; Katerina; The Story of a Life by Aharon Appelfeld review – survivors’ tales full of beauty and pain

Memory and trauma go hand in hand in these two novels and a memoir by the late Israeli writer, who shows that hope can be worse than despair

Rare Singles by Benjamin Myers review – lost souls at a Scarborough soul weekender

A forgotten Chicago singer strikes up an unlikely bond with a Yorkshire supermarket worker in this deceptively simple tale of human connection

The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter review – ambitious New York lockdown mystery

The playwright turned novelist’s second novel turns on the way that Covid restrictions altered the social order, but its central story gets bogged down with endless diversions

In brief: The Wedding People; Ingrained; On the Brink – review

Sparkling observations dot a sharp and funny tale of Rhode Island nuptials, a love letter to the craft of woodworking and compassionate reflections on mental health

Sarah Manguso: ‘I seem to have hit on a cultural sore spot’

The American author on her rage-filled new novel about the end of a marriage, the extraordinary response to it, and the authors she thinks are most underrated

Novelist Kate Atkinson: ‘I do feel a need to prove myself’

As her latest Jackson Brodie thriller comes out, the award-winning author discusses cosy crime, sniffy critics, and how she investigated her own family’s secrets

Can the Game of Thrones universe ever return to greatness?

An underwhelming end to the second season of frustrating prequel series House of the Dragon has fans wondering what’s next

The best recent science fiction and fantasy – reviews roundup

Extremophile by Ian Green; Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan; Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova; The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey; Lake of Darkness by Adam Roberts

Ravelling by Estelle Birdy review – a gutsy coming-of-age debut

This is a beautifully observed portrait of five young men growing up on the edge of Dublin’s underworld

Woo Woo by Ella Baxter review – an art world satire brimming with fury and flair

Baxter’s follow-up to New Animal is part Melbourne scene sketch, part stalker thriller – and a wholly unique manifesto for seizing creative power from fear

Bonding by Mariel Franklin review – smart satire of tech elites

This debut about love, sex and wellness in the digital age is harsh and fun

It Ends with Us review – Blake Lively anchors glossy romance adaptation

Colleen Hoover’s smash hit novel gets a winning and emotionally effective transfer to the big screen

The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaş review – everyday grace

This elegant portrait of an expat couple’s day-to-day existence delves into the complexities of love, home and social expectations