‘Coupledom is very oppressing’: Swedish author Gun-Britt Sundström on the revival of her cult anti-marriage novel

As her million-selling 70s novel, Engagement, is translated into English for the first time, the Swedish author talks about life at 80, finding the ideal love, and why her generation were freer than today’s young people

A new Irish writer is getting rave reviews – but nobody knows who they are. That gives me hope

Pen names have a long history. Now Liadan Ní Chuinn is shunning publicity in an industry that demands ever more exposure, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

‘My parents got me out of Soviet Russia at the right time. Should my family now leave the US?’

When he left the Soviet Union for a new life in America, the novelist never imagined he would live under another authoritarian regime. Then Trump got back into power ... Is it time to move again?

The Guide #200: Get Out, Breaking Bad and the pop culture that defined the 21st century so far

In this week’s newsletter: To celebrate our 200th edition, we look back at the films, shows, albums and more that mattered most over the last 25 years

The best recent crime and thrillers – roundup

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson; Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson; The Good Liar by Denise Mina; The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun; Gunner by Alan Parks

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