The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak review – superlative storytelling
A tale of love and division moves between postcolonial Cyprus and London, exploring themes of generational trauma and belonging
I used to think life was too short to read the same book twice. Not any more
I’m planning to reread the books I once loved, hoping they’ll reinvigorate me at a time when all our batteries are flashing low
The Others by Mark Brandi review – sanctuary from a plague or something more sinister?
Author’s third novel is an uneasy, haunting tale of fear and isolation, told through the eyes of a child and let down only by its uneven pace
Paul by Daisy Lafarge review – a beautifully observed debut
A young female graduate is blind to the grim truth about the older man she falls for when she takes a job on his farm in the Pyrenees
‘I’ve been poor for a long time’: after many rejections, Karen Jennings is up for the Booker
The South African author struggled to find a publisher for her Booker-nominated novel An Island, which only had a print-run of 500 copies. She talks about rejection, her country and believing in herself
Top 10 millennial heroines in fiction
From Marianne in Normal People to Edie in Luster, these very different young women share pressures and anxieties specific to their era
‘My job was to let my mother talk’: Shirley Jackson’s son on a book of her letters
In a revealing new book, the under-appreciated author’s son shows a new side to his misunderstood mother
Billy Summers by Stephen King review – his best book in years
The monsters are all too human in this noir tale of an assassin on one last job
Her Heart for a Compass by Sarah Ferguson review – Mills & Boon debut is chaste good fun
The romance of her heroine’s ‘rebellious’ red hair is much more of a feature in the Duchess of York’s historical novel than sex
Mo Hayder obituary
Bestselling author whose fascination with death and violence found expression in the Jack Caffery crime novels
Shooting Martha by David Thewlis review – clunky film-world farce
The actor’s new novel is set in a world of egotistical film directors and desperate actors, but the showbiz satire is often wide of the mark
From The Outsiders to Cloudstreet: the best working-class books
Author Howard Cunnell picks his favourites, including a pioneering tale of a young black girl in the UK and a poetry collection by a mysterious ‘Mick Guffan’
Men Don’t Cry by Faïza Guène review – witty novel of everyday French life
The former teenage sensation returns with an acutely observed cast of comic characters
Eimear McBride: ‘Women grapple with shame because we’re held to a higher standard’
The novelist on her first book of nonfiction – about women and disgust – and the complexities of prize culture
The Pages by Hugo Hamilton review – a book with a story to tell
A novel smuggled out of Nazi Germany narrates this ingenious work which warns of the danger in ignoring lessons of history