After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz review – in praise of visionary women
A chorus of writers and artists, from Virginia Woolf to Lina Poletti, tells a bold, original story of creativity and freedom
Jennifer Down wins 2022 Miles Franklin award for Bodies of Light
Book prize judges have praised ‘ethical precision’ of Melburnian’s second novel, a poised unpacking of the horrors of institutional failure
Caine prize goes to ‘incandescent’ short story by Idza Luhumyo
Five Years Next Sunday, about an ostracised girl who ‘holds the fate of her community in her hair’, wins £10,000 award for African writing in English
Super Mario Brothers Karamazov: literature begins to take gaming seriously
From Gabrielle Zevin’s new novel to Stephen Sexton’s poetry, more writers are using gaming in literature and not before time
Crossword book club: Landscape Painted With Tea by Milorad Pavić
The latest in our suggested reading for fans of crosswords and puzzling: a playful Serbian outing
Tess Gerritsen: ‘There’s always comfort in Sherlock Holmes’
The US novelist on being immersed in The Hobbit, an inspirational Woman Warrior, and sobbing on the beach reading the Aeneid
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin review – when game boy meets game girl
Video games unite a young creative couple in a charming and playful novel with a difference
In brief: Am I Normal?; Orwell’s Roses; Milk Teeth – reviews
Historian Sarah Chaney unpicks our norms, Rebecca Solnit takes an eclectic approach to an English literary hero, and Jessica Andrews tells a fractured story of escape
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson review – sorcery, Spice Girls and social commentary
A bewitching fantasy debut mixes magic with sharp insights about power structures and discrimination along with pop-culture nostalgia
Meantime by Frankie Boyle review – the comedian’s dark, funny Glasgow noir debut
Withnail and I meets James Bond as two druggy neighbours and a celebrity crime novelist join forces to investigate a murder
Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman review – mischievous meaning-of-life satire
A will-they-won’t-they relationship plays out in Sweden in this clever tale of a world carved up by ‘extinction credit’ traders
Tess Gunty: ‘I was an almost freakishly devout child’
The Indiana-born author on the midwest setting of her acclaimed debut novel, her fascination with rabbits, and the ‘dazzling’ poetry of Tayi Tibble
Alison by Lizzy Stewart review – the making of an artist
The scrapbook approach of this lively graphic novel vividly captures Alison’s journey from uncertain teenager to successful modern-day artist
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
The Partisan by Patrick Worrall; More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez; The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda; All I Said Was True by Imran Mahmood; The Cliff House by Chris Brookmyre
A complicated story: why we need nuanced depictions of abortion in books
A long-dormant topic has now been given a moving, powerful and timely literary anthology, beautifully edited by Annie Finch