fiction
The Swim author explains important reason why she gave her main character an eating disorder

The Swim author explains important reason why she gave her main character an eating disorder
The Swim follows a woman training to swim the English Channel – more people have conquered Everest
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters review – deliciously filthy genderfuckery

Stag Dance by Torrey Peters review – deliciously filthy genderfuckery
These tales glide through trans, queer interiorities and the sticky spectrum of human desire, with infinite promise
Universality by Natasha Brown review – satirising a very British class oppression

Universality by Natasha Brown review – satirising a very British class oppression
Brown implicates the ongoing erosion of class solidarity, and those most vulnerable being scapegoated
Calls May be Recorded for Training and Monitoring Purposes review – provocative and absurd
Calls May be Recorded for Training and Monitoring Purposes review – provocative and absurd
Separate Rooms by Pier Vittorio Tondelli review – a welcome return to the queer canon
Separate Rooms by Pier Vittorio Tondelli review – a welcome return to the queer canon
Top 5 board books for children, chosen by New York Times bestselling author Jon Klassen

Top 5 board books for children, chosen by New York Times bestselling author Jon Klassen
Soft Core by Brittany Newell review – sex, smoke and mirrors

Soft Core by Brittany Newell review – sex, smoke and mirrors
Top 5 books about desire, chosen by novelist Lisa Harding

Top 5 books about desire, chosen by novelist Lisa Harding
Dengue Boy by Michel Nieva review – a bizarre but utterly compelling look at Argentina in 2272

Dengue Boy by Michel Nieva review – a bizarre but utterly compelling look at Argentina in 2272
Flesh by David Szalay review – life comes at you fast

Flesh by David Szalay review – life comes at you fast
Top 5 domestic noirs, chosen by novelist and journalist Hannah Beckerman

Top 5 domestic noirs, chosen by novelist and journalist Hannah Beckerman
Top 5 gritty thrillers, chosen by viral sensation and best-selling author Lloyd Devereux Richards

Top 5 gritty thrillers, chosen by viral sensation and best-selling author Lloyd Devereux Richards
The Summer We Ate Off the China by Devin Jacobsen review – digging for deepest meaning

The Summer We Ate Off the China by Devin Jacobsen review – digging for deepest meaning
The Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor review – profound understanding through science fiction

The Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor review – profound understanding through science fiction
Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett review – lessons of a painful past

Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett review – lessons of a painful past
Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa review – a remarkable and original study of yearning

Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa review – a remarkable and original study of yearning
My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel review – searing, angry power on every page

My Tender Matador by Pedro Lemebel review – searing, angry power on every page
Top 5 historical adventures for kids, chosen by bestselling writer MG Leonard

Top 5 historical adventures for kids, chosen by bestselling writer MG Leonard
We Do Not Part by Han Kang review – scarred with South Korea’s trauma and terror

We Do Not Part by Han Kang review – scarred with South Korea’s trauma and terror
Top 5 Cold War novels, chosen by historian and author Oskar Jensen

Top 5 Cold War novels, chosen by historian and author Oskar Jensen
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico review – anatomy of a fake online life

Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico review – anatomy of a fake online life
Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami review – light among the poignancy and depth

Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami review – light among the poignancy and depth
The Ancients by John Larison review – a powerful dystopian survival story

The Ancients by John Larison review – a powerful dystopian survival story
Savage Theories by Pola Oloixarac review – breathing chaotic life into the streets of Buenos Aires

Savage Theories by Pola Oloixarac review – breathing chaotic life into the streets of Buenos Aires
The Fate of Mary Rose by Caroline Blackwood review – the chilling trauma of gendered violence
