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Here’s what to read to understand the evolving situation in the city right now
The Handmaid’s Tale sequel answers many questions about Gilead — but it falls short of Atwood’s best work
The investigation that sparked #MeToo and the debate about gender politics
Fine work departs from the standard story on inequality to argue we are in a war of all against all
Jessie Burton explores the propensity to label women’s writing as ‘autofiction’ and the dangers of such categorisation
Up-and-coming writer pens joke-filled love letter to his home and its street hustle
A curious historical experiment from 1797 to get a man to live alone underground for seven years is spun out into a novel
Panoramic look at how ‘the greatest story ever told’ overthrew antiquity and formed the west
The Israeli writer’s compact stories combine comedy and tragedy to often brilliant effect
An extraordinary account of the development of a continental cultured class told through three remarkable figures
From Atwood’s ‘The Testaments’ to the Weinstein scandal and the failures of meritocracy
Our critic rounds up the best audio books including Margaret Atwood’s long-awaited sequel The Testaments
An instructive account of a gruelling battle for equal pay at the BBC
Verbose tomes do not necessarily translate into sales to time-pressed buyers
Tracing the roots of the early cyber crusaders
The series, which has reached its 100th episode, takes a novel approach to its subject matter
Amid a history of feuds, none compares with Boris Johnson’s expulsion of 21 Conservative rebels
A fever dream of a novel that takes tales about mothers into the realm of the sci-fi thriller
Our critic rounds up the best writing for children including White Fox, Jack From Earth and The Red Zone
The author’s latest novel should catapult him into the realm of globally fashionable Irish writers
This riveting account of how a piratical corporation subjugated India resonates with today’s global capitalism
An exploration of why humans are so useless at understanding those they do not know
Modernity and tradition clash in the surprisingly diverse post-Soviet states of this fascinating travelogue
The US poet’s voice is searing, powerful and, even in hopelessness, beautiful
A pleasurable read on the innovators and entrepreneurs trying to make clothes with less cruelty and filth
A wry chronicle of the fiendishly complicated and rackety love lives of the women of Horizon magazine fame
The historical thriller hinges on an apocalyptic event and induces a shiver of dread in our present times
With literary legends for company, Peter Fiennes takes us on a nostalgic odyssey
Fiction allows us to experience the minds of others — but machines could soon do a better job
From helping people improve to creating a gender balanced workplace — this month’s top titles
Two former winners among the finalists for the prestigious fiction prize
An insightful dissection of political leaders with high expectations
A wide-ranging study tests competing claims of tolerance in the world’s major religions
An enjoyable swipe at the establishment that combines the author’s use of thriller-ish plots with flinty prose
This impeccably written novel lays bare the trauma of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram
An unflinching look at our toxic relationship with grim yet compelling social media
The novelist delivers yet another rewarding exploration of family dysfunction
