Every One Still Here by Liadan Ní Chuinn review – an extraordinary debut
This brilliant short-story collection confronts the knotty truths of Northern Ireland’s bloody past
Paula Bomer: ‘If you describe yourself as a victim, you’re dismissed’
Having made waves as part of the alt-lit movement, the US author is poised to go mainstream with The Stalker, her most exhilarating work yet
To Rest Our Minds and Bodies by Harriet Armstrong review – a singular new voice
This blackly comic debut is an astute and funny examination of the pain and pleasure of first love
‘The damage is terrifying’: Barbara Kingsolver on Trump, rural America and the recovery home funded by her hit novel
Demon Copperhead, the author’s retelling of Dickens during Virginia’s opioid crisis, was a global success. Now she has used royalties from the novel to open a recovery residence
David Nicholls: ‘I’m nervous to admit it but I struggled with Jane Austen’
The One Day author on laughing hysterically at Adrian Mole and coming around to Persuasion
My Sister and Other Lovers by Esther Freud review – Hideous Kinky, the teenage years
A subtle, intriguing sequel revisits two girls as they grow into adults and question the impact of their unconventional upbringing
A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan review – an immersive but imperfect coming-of-age mystery
Subject of a fierce bidding war, this charming debut shows Trevelyan has an impressive knack for character, but is let down by a predictable plot
Maurice Gee obituary
New Zealand author who wrote about his country’s darker side and was best known for his Plumb trilogy of novels
Autocorrect by Etgar Keret review – endlessly inventive short stories
Alien spaceships, parallel worlds… the Israeli writer’s seventh collection is vast in reach, yet grounded in the bewildering absurdity of modern life
Taboo relationships, steamy affairs and delicious desserts: the best Australian books out in July
Each month Guardian Australia editors and critics pick the upcoming titles they have devoured – or can’t wait to get their hands on
Flashlight by Susan Choi review – big, bold and surprising
Stretching from Indiana to North Korea, the US writer’s sixth novel is a study of absence, alienation and affection in a family rocked by tragedy
‘When I read my sister’s stories I think, that’s not what it was like!’: Esther Freud on the perils of writing about family
The Hideous Kinky author has always drawn inspiration from her own experiences. Now her sister Bella is writing her own version of their childhood. Does fact or fiction come closer to the truth, she asks
‘We need to reclaim these words’: Inside England’s first romance-only bookshop catering to record levels of popularity
Saucy Books in London has become the go-to destination for romance readers – but fans say misogyny is stopping the genre getting the recognition it deserves
Our New Gods by Thomas Vowles review – debut queer thriller dares to wade into the muck of modern desire
Compelling and challenging, seductive and sickening, this screenwriter’s first novel grows increasingly unhinged as its pitiable protagonist risks it all for a crush
I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness by Irene Solà review – makes most fiction feel timid
This Catalonian tale of a botched pact with the devil has the demonic excess of a Hieronymus Bosch painting