Cross by Austin Duffy review – a tense Troubles tale
The transition from violence to political change is explored in this novel of betrayal and brutality in Northern Ireland
The Echoes by Evie Wyld review – ghosts of the past
A woman is haunted by her traumatic Australian childhood – and her dead boyfriend – in a darkly funny novel that hints at hope
Game of Thrones’ George RR Martin falls foul of Glasgow sci-fi event’s strict rules
Author’s efforts to take part apparently stymied by application protocol, but he still plans to attend Worldcon
If you like Baby Reindeer, you’ll love Young Mungo! 29 terrific TV shows – and the books to read instead
Want to watch less and read more this summer? Let your favourite series be a guide to clever, funny, moving titles you won’t be able to put down
Funeral Nights by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih review – an ode to storytelling
Travellers gather before a feast of the dead in this homage to Arabian Nights which spotlights a little-known community in northeast India
‘Huge scars’: novelist finds a fractured Spain in its half-built houses
A visit to the abandoned ‘Manhattan of La Mancha’ inspired Rosa Ribas’s Lejos (Far), newly translated into English
The Wendy Award by Walter Scott review – the voice of a bewildered generation
The fourth in this brilliant and painfully funny series finds our self-destructive millennial heroine nominated for an art award – and grappling with gen z sensibilities
Cross by Austin Duffy review – an IRA ceasefire with bloody strings attached
The Dublin-based author’s fourth novel, set in a fictional border town during the 1994 ceasefire, feels as uncertain and jittery as the fragile peace
The Orange Room by Rosie Price review – quietly devastating portrait of coercive control
An art student’s self-worth is undermined by her boyfriend in the author’s second novel, a subtle tale of a toxic relationship
The Silence in Between by Josie Ferguson review – love in a fractured city
The legacy of sexual violence is explored in a compelling debut about a mother who is separated from her son by the Berlin wall
In brief: Same As It Ever Was; Hello Beautiful; The Golden Rule – review
Claire Lombardo’s outstanding second novel delves into mother-child relationships, Ann Napolitano’s fourth explores self-delusion and Dr Lucy Pollock reflects on ageing in an empowering book
C Pam Zhang: ‘I was aware of the drift towards fascism in Europe’
The Chinese-born, US-based author, whose debut was longlisted for the 2020 Booker, on pursuing pleasure in a volatile world, her taste for chip butties and the joys of being a naive reader
‘People say my book gave them a panic attack’: When We Cease to Understand the World author Benjamín Labatut
His page-turning books about quantum physics and game theory have given the Chilean writer a cult following – and won him famous fans from Stephen Fry to Björk and Barack Obama
No Small Thing by Orlaine McDonald review – a true-to-life tale
This refreshingly honest debut explores a south London family shaped by the pain of emotional neglect
The best recent science fiction and fantasy – reviews roundup
Curandera by Irenosen Okojie; The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman; The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer; Toward Eternity by Anton Hur