The Fraud by Zadie Smith audiobook review – exuberant and funny
Narrated by the author, this story of a Victorian author and his housekeeper cousin, who is obsessed by the Tichborne claimant, explores the lies people tell themselves
The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – reviews roundup
You Like It Darker by Stephen King; Tomorrowing by Terry Bisson; Freakslaw by Jane Flett; The Mark by Fríđa Isberg; Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay
The In-Between by Christos Tsiolkas review – the power of love
Two men in midlife navigate their growing desire to commit to each other in a changing Australia
Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang review – a debut with real heart
This intricately plotted tale moves from a cruising spot for queer men in 1980s rural China to immigrant life in New York
Going Home by Tom Lamont review – vibrant debut of fathers and sons
A 30-something man gains the abrupt responsibility of a surrogate child in an unsentimental, gorgeously written novel that’s bristling with life
Parade by Rachel Cusk review – cold visions of chaos
The world is turned upside down in an experimental novel about art, observation and making stories
Where to start with: Rachel Cusk
From a novel sequence that dispenses with much of what we expect from fiction to fearlessly honest memoirs of motherhood and divorce, Cusk is a challenging writer. But also a genius
Romeo n Juliet 4EVA review – Jamaican teens breathe fresh life into Shakespeare romance
What started life as a reality show following kids in schools putting on Shakespeare has become a rather lovely adaptation with performances that give the pros a run for their money
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry review – fast and loose on the frontiers of America
The Irish novelist turns his hand to the western in an atmospheric tale of romantic runaways from a 1890s US mining town that has an epic feel despite its brevity
John Burnside obituary
Poet, winner of the TS Eliot and Forward prizes and the Whitbread poetry award, memoirist, novelist and academic
‘His greatness was matched by his kindness’: remembering John Burnside
Writers Andrew O’Hagan, Sarah Perry and more pay tribute to the celebrated Scottish poet, novelist and memoirist, who died last week aged 69
My First Book by Honor Levy; Brat: A Ghost Story by Gabriel Smith reviews – audacious darlings of the digital age
Pitch-dark cynicism meets a spooky coming-of-age story in these promising debuts by two ‘alt lit’ proteges
Private Rites by Julia Armfield review – familial conflict before the final days
Three sisters attempt to deal with their father’s death as the end of the world draws near in an evocative novel about sibling rivalry
In brief: Lifting Off; The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers; Hungry Heart – review
A flight attendant’s atmospheric memoir about forbidden love; the beguiling tale of a young fogey’s search for his parents; and food writer Clare Finney’s life in recipes
Spoilt Creatures by Amy Twigg review – haven and hell in the countryside
A compelling debut novel set on an all-female commune in rural Kent explores how cults ensnare vulnerable people