The Gorgeous Inertia of the Earth by Adrian Duncan review – the meaning of beauty
A sculptor embarks on a philosophical quest in this revelatory tale of love and loss, exploring our relationship with the divine
British crime writer Mick Herron wins Crime Writers’ Association lifetime achievement award
The author of books such as Slow Horses and Down Cemetery Road receives the prestigious Diamond Dagger award for his contribution to the genre
Sweat by Emma Healey review – from trauma to treadmill
A personal trainer puts her abusive ex-boyfriend through his paces in a revenge tale from the author of Elizabeth Is Missing
The Book of George by Kate Greathead review – male misadventures
This wryly comic tale follows the lives of a stunted antihero and his long-suffering girlfriend
Crime and thrillers of the month – review
Nicci French’s latest gem; an unsettling brainteaser from Japanese enigma Uketsu; the tensions that mar the maiden voyage of an airship; and a sojourn on a scary Scottish island
Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett review – a moving treatise of family dynamics
The third book from the twice Pulitzer prize-nominated American author is a complex portrait of parallel lives on a par with the great Russian novels
Quarterlife by Devika Rege review – an intimate epic set in Modi’s India
An astute debut novel follows the personal and political upheaval of three friends in a thinly fictionalised contemporary Mumbai
The Artist by Lucy Steeds review – dextrous portrait of female fulfilment
A young woman with creative ambitions is obliged to care for her uncle, a famous painter, in an accomplished debut set in 1920s Provence
Oromay by Baalu Girma review – long-overdue translation of a modern classic
First published in Amharic in 1983, this shocking story about the military junta that governed Ethiopia in the 70s and 80s was banned and led to the author’s disappearance
In brief: Slow Train Coming; How to Sleep at Night; A Sign of Her Own – review
Behind the scenes on Dylan musical Girl from the North Country; a sharp tale of political and family strife; and a fine novel about sensory deprivation
Caryl Phillips: ‘It was Britain that made me a writer’
The New York-based Kittitian-British author on why he set his new novel in the immigrant community of 1960s Notting Hill, the pitfalls of celebrity, and how he never misses a Leeds United match
‘I knew I was overexercising and not eating enough’: novelist Emma Healey on the dark side of self-control
Her bestselling debut Elizabeth Is Missing was inspired by her grandmother’s dementia. Now the novelist has drawn from her own experiences for a thriller about the power dynamic between personal trainer and client
Dealing with the Dead by Alain Mabanckou review – supernatural satire
Funny, spooky and surreal, this shapeshifting novel from the Francophone author explores Congolese politics
Shankari Chandran, Robert Dessaix, Diana Reid and others: Australian books to look forward to in 2025
From enthralling debuts to playful premises and national reckonings, here is a whirlwind tour of what’s to come
The Memory Palace by Nate DiMeo audiobook review – bite-size historical wonders
Author and narrator Nate DiMeo zooms in on stories of mishap, invention and adventure in these pithy yet profound historical lessons