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Is India enjoying a golden age or in democratic decline? And what will the prime minister do next? As the nation goes to the polls, four books attempt to unravel its many complexities
A novel about the building of the canal and the people whose lives were changed
This history of medieval and Renaissance household ‘service magic’ is packed with eye-opening details
A story of the lives and loves of four people in contemporary Essex broadens out into a dazzling exploration of science and religion
Prolific author who combined formal experimentation with popular appeal and was a fixture of the New York literary scene
In gardens both real and imagined, Laing asks whether we can use green spaces to make a more equal world
The Booker nominee’s finely plotted new novel focuses on post-industrial politics in northern England, and also a great deal more
Michael Donkor’s story of a Black English teacher whose parents struggle to understand his sexuality is subtle and illuminating
In this memoir, the child of American white nationalists chronicles a remarkable personal journey towards awareness and anti-racism
A senior barrister makes the case for fixing the ‘sense of decay’ affecting Westminster and offers detailed and robust reforms
A look at how to control nothing but influence everything; a re-evaluation of how we learn; and breaking down the flaws in economic analyses
Tools used by recruiters and managers to hire and fire may be doing more harm than good
The complexities of Modi’s India; an astonishing memoir of growing up in the KKK; Olivia Laing on why gardens may be the answer to equality; Sunjeev Sahota’s novel on class in northern England; a barrister makes the case for reforming British politics; cosmic enlightenment in Sarah Perry’s latest; lessons in love from Michael Donkor; a study of medieval and Renaissance household magic; the lives changed by the Panama canal — plus the best new books in economics
From shady deals to outright fraud, a series of high-profile scandals have rocked the art world. What’s the solution?
Dana Mattioli’s important book looks at the winner-takes-all dynamic that built a competition-squashing behemoth
Was a Highland postman the inspiration for Mr McGregor?
The author and journalist on Cambridge, Black British gay history and his ‘garish’ gold jacket
Rupert Thomson’s exceptional novel makes co-conspirators of his readers in the story of a history professor’s mid-life breakdown
Stupidity; Soho; Stiglitz; and spam
The American screenwriter’s account of four decades in Hollywood is as gossipy and scandalous as you’d expect
Rachel Cockerell movingly chronicles her ancestors’ migration from Kyiv to America — via a scheme for a homeland in Texas
The chef pays homage to his Palestinian heritage in his first book of recipes
This globe-hopping new novel is a bold study in human connection
Reservation scalping; flame-throwing robot dogs; Russian reserve accumulation and Taylor Swift fandom
Jón Kalman Stefánsson’s amnesiac narrator pieces together past and present in a radiant translation by Philip Roughton
A new book by the celebrated social photographer captures the city in all its most unscrupulous glory
Seamus Heaney’s touching acts of kindness, Jane Austen’s hangovers — an author’s correspondence reveals things that literature cannot
This fast-paced account lays bare bitter divisions, relentless setbacks and a prime minister’s ultimate undoing
What do you plant for a poet? The novelist describes creating her garden against time
Caledonian Road charts a grand unravelling in London while Julia Gillard and Gillian Anderson add gravitas to Annabelle Hirsch’s history in 101 objects
A look back to celebrate the 20th edition of the Financial Times and Schroders award
Doris Kearns Goodwin has written award-winning studies of four former American presidents. Her latest book focuses on her own coming of age
Gregory Makoff’s book is a fair and comprehensive look at what became the trial of the century for sovereign debt
Palestinian author Huzama Habayeb’s bittersweet love-letter of a book meshes the personal and political to moving effect
As elections get under way on April 19, here’s a selection of the best titles to shed light on what’s at stake in the world’s biggest democracy
With immersive storylines and powerful, emotive writing, some of the most thrilling fiction out there is being created in game form
The writer, who lost an eye and use of his hand in the attempted murder, uses witty prose to overcome the urge to confront his attacker in the flesh
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