Death and the Gardener by Georgi Gospodinov review – how it feels to lose a father
The International Booker winner explores Bulgarian family life under communism in this moving depiction of a son’s bereavement
Woody Allen to publish his first novel
The controversial film-maker has previously written short stories and essays but this story about a middle-aged Jewish author whose marriage is on the rocks is his first published novel
Cure by Katherine Brabon review – moments of grace in meditation on chronic illness
Doubles and reflections abound in this subtle exploration of the stories we tell about sickness, centring on a mother and daughter who travel to Italy in search of healing
Summer sizzlers: six must-read books by Black authors
From the mysterious ‘return’ of a vanished mother to a London love affair gone awry, check out our guide to the freshest fiction to read by the pool
Four Letters of Love review – top-notch cast aim to bring Nicholas Sparks-ish romance to life
Sugary story of destiny and dreams slowly brings together two troubled young people and a prize painting
Pan by Michael Clune review – a stunning debut of teen psychosis
This wild ride of a novel is remarkable for the honesty of its treatment of both mental illness and adolescence
The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley review – teenage mothers and melodrama
This ambitious tale of solidarity and sisterhood in Florida has moments of poetic clarity, but falls short of the author’s dazzling debut
Brooklyn and beyond: Colm Tóibín’s best books – ranked!
As the Irish author turns 70, we rate his best works of fiction – from his latest, Long Island, to his emotionally wrenching ‘masterpiece’
Men in Love by Irvine Welsh review – the Trainspotting boys grow up
Three decades on from the author’s breakthrough debut, why are we still trapped in the Trainspotting moment?
Where authors gossip, geek out and let off steam: 15 of the best literary Substacks
More and more writers are publishing newsletters – but which are worth your time? From Margaret Atwood to Hanif Kureishi, George Saunders to Miranda July, here’s our guide to the best
The Guardian view on The Salt Path scandal: memoirists have a duty to tell the truth
Editorial: In an era of misinformation, trust in publishers is more important than ever.
Where to start with: Elizabeth Strout
A guide to the Pulitzer-winning novelist’s tales of small-town life, family secrets, and fraught relationships
The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup
Here and Beyond by Hal LaCroix; One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford; I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman; The Reaper by Jackson P Brown
Clare Chambers: ‘Iris Murdoch taught me that a novel could be about absolutely anything’
The author on Anthony Trollope, Andrew Miller, and why she sided with 19th-century coal miners
First jobs, first love and a serve of minimum chips
Our teenage jobs are generally far from glamorous but one of the pleasures of writing a book is the chance to do it all again – only better