Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree review – the timeless search to be seen
This International Booker-winning story of a woman who travels to Pakistan at the age of 80 to reclaim her true identity is a breath of fresh air
The Ballad of Lord Edward and Citizen Small by Neil Jordan review – gripping tale of an unequal friendship
The film-maker and author’s latest novel, about the bond between an aristocrat and a freed slave, is thrillingly written and laden with social and sexual ambiguity
Amy & Lan by Sadie Jones review – the end of childhood innocence
The writer’s achingly poignant sixth novel recounts the story of two youngsters whose friendship is pulled apart by the tensions of the adult world in a rural Eden
The Kingdom of Sand by Andrew Holleran; Fire Island by Jack Parlett – review
The author of gay cult classic Dancer from the Dance moves on from disco-fuelled revels to ‘death’s antechamber’ in his august portrait of a man for whom duty calls in Florida
Taymour Soomro: ‘I want to challenge reductionist narratives about Pakistan’
The novelist on learning farming from his grandfather, how his background in law informed his work, and why homophobia is a Victorian export
On my radar: Lucy Kirkwood’s cultural highlights
The playwright on the poetry and silliness of Aldous Harding, an inspiring new theatre in Suffolk and binge-reading Saba Sams’s short stories
Summer books: Bernardine Evaristo, Hilary Mantel, David Nicholls and more pick their favourites
Authors recommend their favourite recent reads, from addictive novels and fascinating cultural history to a game-changing graphic memoir
Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape
From pageturning thrillers and comic novels to an antidote to doomscrolling – our pick of the best new fiction and nonfiction. Plus 10 brilliant paperbacks, and 10 great reads for children and teens
I’m A Fan by Sheena Patel review – a brutal, brilliant debut
A woman wrestles with the objects of her obsession in this thrilling take on gender, race and power dynamics
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles; Tokyo Express by Seichō Matsumoto; Wake by Shelley Burr; Sun Damage by Sabine Durrant; Aurora by David Koepp
In life, my sister taught me how to love. In death, she made me want to fix the funeral industry
After Allison’s funeral, Jackie Bailey enrolled in a master of theology. Now she’s an interfaith minister, deathwalker, celebrant and funeral director
The Young Accomplice by Benjamin Wood review – a tender tale of learning from mistakes
Wood’s unnerving fourth novel follows young siblings from borstal to living on a farm in 50s England
The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton review – a sequel to The Miniaturist
This thoughtful follow-up is a clever echo of Burton’s debut, tracing a woman’s coming of age in early 18th-century Amsterdam
Shock ending: how the Costa book awards changed reading – and pitted husband against wife
After 50 years, the prize has been scrapped. How did it change Britain’s literary landscape? And what happened at the awards when Margaret Drabble was seated next to Theresa May?
Top 10 books about terrible jobs
Whether living as a caveman in a theme park or writing self-help copy for rice cracker packets, literature has many memorably awful occupations