Attica Locke on the US election: ‘It’s white Americans that have to fix this’
The Highway 59 author discusses the influence of politics on her crime novels, how Beyoncé caused a backlash, and why Trump’s re-election is not as likely as it seems
‘Urgent’, ‘stunningly written’, ‘a feat of imagination’: the best Australian books out in October
Each month Guardian Australia editors and critics pick the upcoming titles they have already devoured – or can’t wait to get their hands on
Alan Hollinghurst: ‘I wrote letters to my schoolfriends in dwarfish runes’
The author on the brilliance of Burroughs, Penelope Fitzgerald’s concise mastery, and a teenage obsession with Middle-earth
Odyssey by Stephen Fry review – a jaunty version of Homer
The last in Fry’s four-book retelling of the Greek myths is relatable and full of humour
The Deal by Alex Miller review – the failure and the fire of an artist’s life
The two-time Miles Franklin winner’s latest book revisits familiar characters from his life and work, interrogating art, friendship and fatherhood
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich review – a multifaceted rural tale
A love triangle in a farming community provides the central theme in this garrulous small-town satire
Reese Witherspoon announces first novel co-written with Harlan Coben
The Oscar-winning actor and author of the Myron Bolitar series have been ‘writing pages over many months’ together to create a thriller to be published next year
Tim Winton: ‘I lived in the worst possible space for seven years. It knocks some paint off you, I can tell you’
After years of wrestling with difficult subject matter in secrecy, the Australian novelist talks about the grim future he has imagined for his latest novel, and how it can be avoided
All My Precious Madness by Mark Bowles review – biting humour
This keenly observed debut brilliantly captures the internal monologue of a misanthrope, in a portrait of intellectual melancholia
The Third Realm by Karl Ove Knausgård review – a visionary epic
Book three in the Norwegian novelist’s Morning Star series takes in devils, black metal and revelation, and provides a masterclass in what fiction can offer
Ross Raisin’s Ghost Kitchen wins 2024 BBC national short story award with dark gig economy tale – read it here
Raisin takes £15,000 prize with ‘a brilliantly rendered glimpse into life in the edge-lands’
Crime and thrillers of the month – review
A black girl goes missing in Attica Locke’s latest, brutal murder is all the rage across the US – and Londoners aren’t welcome in rural Wales
Elias Khoury obituary
Lebanese novelist best known for his 1998 book Gate of the Sun, which he said was an act of love for the Palestinian people
Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst review – one for the ages
Key moments in an actor’s life over seven decades are illuminated with skill and quiet power in this languid and stately novel
Playground by Richard Powers review – an electrifyingly beautiful tale of tech and the ocean
The wonders of oceanic life shine through in a magical book that is at once Anthropocene novel, disquieting AI thriller, postcolonial allegory and a portrait of friendship