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Mieko Kawakami’s third novel to appear in English challenges the expectations and social strictures that weigh on women
Two works on female sexuality attempt to rebalance centuries of gender bias from often male-dominated science
In her debut novel, ex-chef Louise Kennedy brings tension, hope and a female perspective to a story of sectarian conflict
The great renaissance in pandemic times of page-turning pleasure highlights the remarkable resilience of the classic reading format
Hayley Campbell’s study on what happens to our bodies when we die is a transformative read
The smartphone pervades this fragmentary Berlin-set memoir, which weaves between encounters with nature and failed efforts to find love
A propulsive mystery that delights and deceives as two strangers’ lives intersect
Tired of fruitless scrolling, singles are heading back to the bar
The author of ‘How Should a Person Be?’ takes an unusual look at love, ageing and art as creation
The acclaimed novelist’s short stories explore desire, discovery — and magic-realist revenge
Two new books examine the evolution of fitness and our sculpting of the human form
The novelist’s latest family drama is stylishly plotted against the backdrop of the sexual revolution in 1960s London
The model-designer on objectification, Instagram and image control
The third Lucy Barton novel adds another satisfying piece to the character’s complex jigsaw
This novel deftly sidesteps the clichés of drug abuse and conveys the complexities of loving someone who can’t love you back
To find what’s most meaningful to us, we have to learn which things to neglect
Three books examine the perils of loneliness — a problem that has only intensified during the pandemic — and offer practical solutions as well as the salve of solidarity
By writing in Italian, the author set herself the challenge of capturing a sense of exile and alienation
Karl Schlögel tells of the divergent and ‘unjust’ fates of the French perfumers who created iconic fragrances to celebrate Russia’s revolutions — and the women that inspired them
Dark humour comes to the fore in a laugh-out-loud satire of the tribalism that sets us apart
What my kitchen adventures taught me about the power of planning
‘Framing Britney Spears’ offers an eye-opening take on celebrity and misogyny
Weighty questions underlie the wackiness and misadventures of a temp’s 23 jobs and 18 boyfriends in this surreal fable
How the singer’s seemingly irresistible rags-to-rhinestones story masks a life of ‘lived feminism’
A study of seven stories by Chekhov, Tolstoy and others puts the mystery of the muse into words
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