Esther Freud’s delicate and moving sequel to ‘Hideous Kinky’ is well worth the three-decade wait
Gabriela Cabezón Cámara powerfully reimagines a real-life tale of transformation, escape and the brutal colonial history of Latin America
Former spooks or sleuths can’t shake off their old lives in books by Paul Vidich, Alan Parks, Graham Hurley and Mark Ezra, while Mark Ellis and Lily Samson delve into secret worlds
A fan of trashy cult movies, his wacky blockbusters have rescued comic book franchises from mortal danger
What makes ancient Greece and Rome still relevant today?; Xi Jinping’s ideological upbringing; extinctions and the dubious ethics of reviving lost species; a belated English translation of a Swedish cult classic; a Ukrainian novel of war and snails; England’s nostalgia and muddled identity; Hal Ebbott’s daring debut; essays by Arifa Akbar; a biography of Virgil Abloh; Pilita Clark’s top environment titles — and Nilanjana Roy on gardening memoirs
The 1976 novel captures a moment of generational change in Stockholm — and in its first English translation, the writing still feels fresh
Hal Ebbott’s powerful debut novel shatters our expectations when the comfortable world of two families is blown apart in one reckless moment
In Maria Reva’s road-trip novel, mail-order brides serve an unlikely purpose, and Russia’s invasion blows apart the divide between fact and fiction
The novelist draws on Japanese-Korean history to create a restless, leisurely and capacious work that takes in a sweep of periods and places
Desmond Elliott Prize winner Claire Adam creates the illusion of real life on the page in the story of a middle-aged Londoner searching for her adopted daughter
What’s in a name for an unborn child? Plus tales of troubled teens; walking across England; and journeying to the stars
The author’s latest novel is a chilling portrait of manipulation and menace within the cloistered world of an elite boarding school
Alexander Starritt’s best novel yet follows the lives of two entrepreneurial graduates against a backdrop of the 2008 crash to Covid and beyond
Nell Stevens’ tale about a young forger of masterpieces explores authenticity in art and love with echoes of Daphne du Maurier
Writers are responding to earthly anxieties but looking to the skies as a place of creative freedom — and a reflection of our planet’s fragile beauty
Supernatural happenings in civil war England and the American South; wild rides on the racecourse and the crypto rollercoaster; plus a nightmare New York dinner party
FT editors, columnists and specialists share the titles that have inspired them
James Lovegrove and Suzi Feay select their best mid-year reads
James Lovegrove selects his best mid-year reads
Maria Crawford selects her best mid-year reads
Ángel Gurría-Quintana selects his best mid-year reads
Barry Forshaw and Adam LeBor select their best mid-year reads
Alex Clark selects her best mid-year listens
The writer’s rich first novel features a multitude of characters centred around a question of consent
The bestselling author’s ninth novel is a 1980s-set tale of love, human limits and a Nasa mission gone awry
