John Self

2 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | John Self

A complex yet rewarding dual narrative of a man fleeing war and a woman coming to terms with her mathematician father’s legacy Mathias Énard’s new novel presents itself as a book of contrasts: two stories, apparently unrelated, unspool in alternating chapters. However, “unspool” might not be the right word, as only one of the narratives takes a direct route to its destination.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | John Self

‘Human beings and their basic nature are the same everywhere,” Banu Mushtaq says. “That is the intention of my writing. The theme is woman, the theme is marginalised people, the theme is to be a voice to the voiceless community.”Mushtaq, from the Karnataka region of southern India, has been “awake all night”, she says, as we speak on the morning after she won the International Booker prize in London for her book Heart Lamp.

2 weeks ago | msn.com | John Self

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2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | John Self

What unites the books on the shortlist for this year’s International Booker prize? Brevity, for one thing: five of the six are under 200 pages, and half barely pass 100. They are works of precision and idiosyncrasy that don’t need space to make a big impression. Themes are both timely – AI, the migration crisis – and evergreen: middle-class ennui; the place of women in society. And for the second consecutive year, every book comes from an independent publisher, with four from tiny micropresses.

3 weeks ago | thecritic.co.uk | John Self

This article is taken from the May 2025 issue of The Critic. To get the full magazine why not subscribe? Right now we’re offering five issues for just £10. Ben Markovits is something of an enigma — to me, at least. The British-American novelist has been productive if not downright prolific, publishing 11 novels since his debut 21 years ago, and in 2013 was selected as one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists.