Yellow Pine by Claire Vaye Watkins review – messy portrait of protest subculture
Watkins should have been the ideal writer for this sympathetic take on new age spirituality and desert eco-activism – but the results are confusing
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
The Runner by Scarlett Thomas; The Madman by Henning Mankell; Everything She Didn’t Say by Jane Casey; The Spy and the Snake by MJ Robotham; Murder at the End of the World by Akane Araki
The Red Mouth by Sheila Armstrong review – profound exploration of Ireland’s deep time
Sinister bogland discoveries haunt the intersecting lives of four characters in this meditative, exquisitely written tale
Worry Doll by Laura McPhee-Browne review – a sensual, sinister novel about the horrors of desire
Two women meet on a train and tumble into an all-consuming affair told from both sides – who have very different stories
Rebecca Perry wins Waterstones debut fiction prize for ‘delicious and dream-like’ novel
May We Feed the King, about a museum curator and a medieval monarch, was praised by judges for its ‘crisp, cool prose’ and ‘poet’s eye for detail’
Grief Is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter review – a bravura rendering of bereavement
Actor Russell Tovey’s narration crackles with compassion and menace in this magical story of a widower and his young sons in mourning
A voyage of discovery: an idiot’s guide to reading The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of the ancient Greek epic has sparked a new appetite for an old classic. Here are the translations, podcasts and audiobooks that make the Homeric world more approachable
‘I felt Holden was talking to me alone’: The Catcher in the Rye at 75
JD Salinger’s wry, subversive classic inspired novelist Joseph O’Connor to be a writer. He reflects on why this story of a disaffected teenager remains as fresh and transgressive as ever
Thursday briefing: Why magical kingdoms feel more relatable than real‑world romance for today’s young women
In today’s newsletter: The boom in romantasy fiction reveals a thirst for escape from the political misalignment plaguing many modern relationships
The First House by Avni Doshi review – an intense portrait of marriage and freedom
In the follow-up to the Booker-shortlisted Burnt Sugar, a woman seeks liberation from her controlling relationships
Nine out of 10 bestselling novels in UK have one thing in common: a woman is murdered
Author Wendy Jones highlighted the trend in an Instagram post: ‘What is going on here?’
Goodbye Chinatown by Kit Fan review – a chef’s elegy to London
Skipping between London, Shanghai and Hong Kong, this tale of family migration, politics and food has plenty of flavour and fire
The Anniversary by Andrea Bajani review – meet the terrible parents
Therapy brings childhood trauma to light in this ambitious tale of family rupture – a smash hit in Italy that fails to live up to its hype
‘Stop telling people it’s weird’: Andrew Upton on his strange new novel, and having Cate Blanchett read it first
An allegory in the spirit of Animal Farm, the Australian playwright’s debut novel about a disfigured chicken is a fantastical fable that’s both funny and ‘a bit bleak’
‘People treat each other as disposable’: dating columnist turned novelist Annie Lord on love and sex in the age of apps
Her breakup memoir and Vogue column made her the voice of modern dating. As her debut is published, she talks about single life, oversharing and why she still believes she’ll find love