Rose Tremain: ‘Sex scenes are like arias in opera. They have to move the story forwards’

The bestselling author on how to avoid reader indifference, the advantage of writing historical stories and why she returns to Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates again and again

A century after his death, Kafka still sums up our surreal world

A sneak preview of a new exhibition about him sends shivers down my spine

‘I miss my solitude’: Booker winner Paul Lynch says he is a ‘social introvert’

Author of novel Prophet Song about an imagined fascist Ireland tells Hay audience he is not a political writer

‘Bond’s gone woke!’ Charlie Higson on the row around his ‘metrosexual’ 007

When Charlie Higson published a new Bond novel last year, online critics accused him of turning 007 into a ‘woke, libtard snowflake’ ... But he has always been a complicated character, argues the author

Bad Habit by Alana S Portero review – hard times in Madrid

A vivid debut of trans life in Spain after Franco observes a world of violence and petty cruelties with compassion

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett audiobook review – Meryl Streep narrates a bittersweet tale of first love

A mother reveals her mysterious past in a tale of choice and the roads not taken

What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in May

Authors, critics and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the comments

River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure review – all change in China

Shortlisted for the Women’s prize, this immersive debut tells an intergenerational story about coming of age in a country that’s rapidly growing

Ghost Cities by Siang Lu review – a funny, fascinating critique of modern China

This novel is both biting satire and love story, unfolding in a surprising melange of wonder and intelligence

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Book Two by Emil Ferris review – fantastic beasts

An eagerly awaited sequel to the author’s debut is a wildly inventive fantasy noir of lush and surprising child-like wonder

This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud review – an epic family odyssey

A Franco-Algerian family’s struggles since the second world war are intimately captured across continents and generations

Writing is lonely work but connecting with other novelists on zoom keeps me motivated

It’s not pretty but conference calls at dawn keep us showing up. We’ve got novels to write, which is the only work we really want to do

Godwin by Joseph O’Neill review – mining for goals

A comedic hunt for raw footballing talent in Africa explores a new kind of colonialism

Godwin by Joseph O’Neill review – unmissable edge-of-your-seat drama

Tension at a writers’ co-op is spliced with the hunt for a gifted footballer in the Netherland author’s first book in 10 years, an exceptional tale of desire and betrayal

‘It is worse now’: The Bookseller of Kabul author Åsne Seierstad on returning to Afghanistan 20 years on

The Norwegian writer on meeting the Taliban, her fears for girls’ education, and the legal battle that ensued after the publication of her bestselling book