The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff audiobook review – a fugitive’s fight for survival
Actor January LaVoy narrates the visceral story of a girl on the run in a winter wilderness, in early 17th-century Virginia
Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson review – a genre-defying graphic novel about class, religion and globalisation
Can you tell the American story via ginseng? Thompson’s funny, moving and exquisitely drawn work has a go
The Names by Florence Knapp – the verdict on spring’s hottest debut
In this strikingly assured sliding doors tale, three alternate narratives unfold, showing how the choice of a name influences a life
Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter review – a Saltburn-style story of identity
A mixed-race musician is drawn into the unfamiliar milieu of an upper-class family in this plotty debut
Dream State by Eric Puchner review – an epic tale of paradise lost
A love triangle plays out across generations in this brilliantly panoramic tale of family ties
Love Groundhog Day and Russian Doll? These are the novels for you
High-concept novels are having a moment. Funny, inventive and crackling with big ideas, these ambitious stories will have you instantly hooked
Love endures all, including slavery and the pandemic. I wanted to show how
In early 2020, separated from my family and friends during the pandemic, I made up my mind to write a love story
‘Literary scandal’, ‘joke-a-minute’, ‘captivating’: the best Australian books out in May
Each month Guardian Australia editors and critics pick the upcoming titles they have already devoured – or can’t wait to get their hands on
Do we really need more male novelists?
There may not be obvious successors to the likes of Martin Amis and Salman Rushdie among today’s hotshot young writers. But is a new publisher dedicated to ‘overlooked’ male voices necessary?
The Guardian view on the Gruffalo: a well-timed comeback, wart and all
Editorial: The next challenge for Julia Donaldson’s monster is to get its claws into parents and persuade more of them to read aloud
Little World by Josephine Rowe review – a beautiful novella that lacks heft
Australian literature is littered with dead girls in the bush – and this finely wrought tale is narrated by a corpse who feels like just a gauzy metaphor
The Pretender by Jo Harkin review – a bold and brilliant comedy of royal intrigue
This fantasia on the life of Lambert Simnel, who finds himself a claimant to the English throne, is a romp through late-medieval identity and historical uncertainty
What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in April
Writers and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the comments
Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata review – a future without sex
The Convenience Store Woman author imagines the creep of a new worldview, in a novel that highlights the weirdness of normal life
Playing with words: why novelists are becoming video game writers – and vice-versa
While the novel remains a high-status cultural form, video game writing is still seen as a throwaway art – despite some of the biggest names in fiction being involved