Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah review – a masterclass in quicksilver storytelling
The Nobel laureate’s wonderful new novel connects a trio of east African teens as they come of age, moving from small-scale dramas to wide-ranging social panoramas
Stories of Ireland by Brian Friel review – a solid gold treat
Originally published in 1979, this tremendous set of stories by the great Irish playwright is full of country folk looking to make their mark
In brief: Bowieland; Deep Cuts; The Inalienable Right – review
A Bowie travelogue following in his footsteps; a charming debut novel for music lovers of a certain age; and a stirring snapshot of gay life in the 80s
Róisín Lanigan: ‘I moved to London and got bedbugs’
The Northern Irish journalist turned author on writing a haunted house novel for the rental age, her trick for capturing dialogue and favourite millennial reads
‘Much darker than Pride and Prejudice!’: authors pick their favourite Jane Austen novel
Colm Tóibín, Katherine Rundell, Rebecca Kuang and other leading novelists celebrate the author in her 250th year
Nova Scotia House by Charlie Porter review – radical visions of gay 90s London
Memories of love and heartbreak during the Aids epidemic are brought vividly to life in this exhilarating, risk-taking debut
Jess Kidd: ‘My older sister taught me to read with Mills & Boon’
The author on growing up with tales of swooning heroines, the thrill of Dylan Thomas and the genius of George Saunders
The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup
The Bureau by Eoin McNamee; The Mouthless Dead by Anthony Quinn; Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch; The Grapevine by Kate Kemp; Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall
Signs of Damage by Diana Reid review – gripping thriller of unsolved mysteries
In her third book, the author of Love and Virtue slyly subverts the trauma plot to take aim at our impulse to reduce the messiness of life to a neat narrative
Madame Sosostris & the Festival for the Broken-Hearted by Ben Okri review – a slender fable
The magical healing power of a masked costume ball hangs in the balance in this whimsical tale of transformation
Universality by Natasha Brown review – clever satire of identity politics
Slyly investigating language and bias in media culture, this follow-up to Assembly confirms Brown as one of the most intelligent voices writing today
Torrey Peters on life after a hit novel: ‘It had a very chilling effect on my writing’
Author of Detransition, Baby found success and pushback she never anticipated and now returns with a provocative collection of stories
Once the Deed Is Done by Rachel Seiffert review – mystery in the aftermath of the Third Reich
This fine novel investigates the fate of displaced people in the hazardous, dirty backwash of the second world war
The trauma plot: how did culture get addicted to tragic backstories?
Again and again, audiences have been spoon-fed the same story: a character can only be explained by a past trauma, tantalisingly revealed in the last episode. Has the trope reached a tipping point?
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits review – a triumphant twist on the great American road novel
Fleeing a failing marriage and culture war battles, a man drives away from the wreckage of his past