Book of the week
The book of the week in Guardian's Saturday Review section
The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright review – a supple, spellbinding scrutiny of familial relationships
A dead poet’s daughter and granddaughter must come to terms with his troubling legacy in the Booker winner’s bravura new novel about language and connection
The Age of the Strongman by Gideon Rachman review – democracy muscled out?
This chilling examination of how the growing popularity of autocrats and their aspirants could upend western liberal values is forceful and timely
The Magician by Colm Tóibín review – inside the mind of Thomas Mann
This compelling fictionalised biography explores the life and times of the exiled German Nobel winner, exquisitely balancing the intimate and momentous
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney review – the problem of success
How do you follow two brilliantly acclaimed novels? Rooney examines meaning, art, friendship and the price of fame through the story of two couples
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker review – bleak and impressive
In the sequel to her Iliad retelling The Silence of the Girls, told from the perspective of captured queen Briseis, Barker moves on from war to its aftermath
Speak, Silence by Carole Angier review – a remarkable biography
The first major study of revered author and academic WG Sebald reveals an obsessive and brilliant mind
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner review – a self-deprecating and honest memoir
Grief, anxiety and the many flavours of instant noodles suffuse this story of loss, growth and mother-daughter love
The Country of Others by Leïla Slimani review – a compelling exploration of the past
The bestselling author of Lullaby works her dangerous magic on her own family history in the first of a planned trilogy
Spike by Jeremy Farrar and Anjana Ahuja; and Vaxxers by Sarah Gilbert and Catherine Green – review
Two urgent and fascinating accounts from the frontlines show how scientists succeeded, and failed, at saving us from Covid-19
Head First by Alastair Santhouse review – a medical memoir with elegance and integrity
In a passionate blend of anecdote and evidence, a consultant psychiatrist shows how the mind and the body are irrevocably connected, despite medicine’s desire to separate and specialise
Ethel Rosenberg by Anne Sebba review – a notorious cold war tragedy
This is a sensitive portrait of the American civilian who was executed for allegedly passing atomic secrets to the Russians
The Promise by Damon Galgut review – legacies of apartheid
The Booker-shortlisted novelist examines South Africa’s broken promises over the last three decades through the story of one white family
Languages of Truth by Salman Rushdie review – profound insights and platitudes
From childhood memories to riffs on Philip Roth … there’s some superlative nonfiction in this eclectic collection of essays, written over the last two decades
Liars by Cass R Sunstein review – in search of the ‘optimal chill’
Who should regulate false information? A ‘nudge’ expert and former adviser to Barack Obama takes on free speech
Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor review – beyond words
Disaster in the Antarctic necessitates heroism at home, in this beautifully restrained interrogation of language, care and loss
The Premonition by Michael Lewis review – a pandemic story
The Big Short author tackles the US handling of Covid and the ‘superhero’ scientists who tried to save the day
Letters to Camondo by Edmund de Waal review – a superb, sensitive account
From Proust and Parisian riches to the horror of the Holocaust ... this companion study to The Hare With Amber Eyes is the skilfully told story of a family’s collection of art objects
The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym by Paula Byrne – the ‘modern Jane Austen’?
This excellent cradle-to-grave biography of a much loved novelist who goes in and out of fashion captures her alarming habits and tormented love affairs
Double Blind by Edward St Aubyn review – in pursuit of knowledge
The Disappearance of Lydia Harvey by Julia Laite review – a sex worker in Edwardian London
About 496 results for Book of the week 
