From a new Murakami to a memoir by Cher: the best books of the autumn

Fiction

Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
(Jonathan Cape, out now)

Spy-for-hire Sadie Smith arrives in rural France, tasked with infiltrating a group of eco-activists. There she follows a beguiling trail of emails about modernity, civilisation and the possible survival of neanderthals, in what is both an electrifying thriller and a profound novel of ideas.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
(Viking, out now)
The new series from the all-conquering Thursday Murder Club author introduces a retired investigator and his adrenaline-junkie daughter-in-law for a globe-trotting crime thriller.

Entitlement by Rumaan Alam
(Bloomsbury, 17 September)
Leave the World Behind, his unnerving apocalypse fable, made Alam’s name and was adapted for Netflix. The follow-up explores wealth, race and contemporary inequality through the story of a young Black woman coming into the orbit of an old white millionaire.

Annihilation by Michel Houellebecq, translated by Shaun Whiteside
(Picador, 19 September)
Already a bestseller in Europe, this is a near-future dystopia in which France is beset by economic decline, political crisis and mysterious cyberattacks. The publisher promises a new note of compassion along with Houellebecq’s customary scabrous satire.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
(Faber, 24 September)
The Irish author’s much-anticipated fourth novel is a heartfelt examination of grief and sibling rivalry between a cynical thirtysomething lawyer and his chess-obsessed younger brother, as well as an inquiry into contemporary sexual etiquette and a celebration of unexpected love.

Playground by Richard Powers
(Hutchinson Heinemann, 26 September)
Powers sets out to do for the ocean what his novel The Overstory did for trees, in an epic tale of technology, environment, the ravages of capitalism and the power of friendship, driven by wonder for the underwater world.

The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones
(Fitzcarraldo, 26 September)
In this “health resort horror story” inspired by Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, it’s 1913, and a young Polish man with TB arrives at a sanatorium in the Silesian mountains. An exuberant feminist parable from the International Booker winner that takes in philosophy, misogyny, illness and the power of the irrational.

Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst
(Picador, 3 October)
His first novel for seven years explores class and race in England, from the 60s to Brexit and Covid, through the memoir of a half-Burmese actor who enters uneasily into the world of privilege with a scholarship to public school.

Juice by Tim Winton
(Picador, 17 October)
A blistering cli-fi epic from the Australian author, about holding on to humanity in a dangerous future world.

Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer
(4th Estate, 22 October)
The Southern Reach trilogy has become a landmark in speculative fiction. A decade after the first volume Annihilation, later adapted for film by Alex Garland, this surprise addition returns to the mysterious Area X. Expect some answers, but more questions.

Karla’s Choice: A John le Carré Novel by Nick Harkaway
(Viking, 24 October)
It’s 1963, and a Russian agent has defected in unusual circumstances. Harkaway, known for his speculative fiction, creates a new outing for his late father’s most famous spy, George Smiley.

Gliff by Ali Smith
(Hamish Hamilton, 31 October)
Following the Seasons quartet and its addendum Companion Piece, a new two-novel project from one of our most playful and political writers. This first half is a fable about resistance to the surveillance state that finds joy in the margins, featuring two young siblings and a horse called Gliff.

The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe
(Viking, 7 November)
Coe has self-referential fun with a cosy-crime murder mystery set against the rise and fall of Liz Truss that takes in literary jealousy, 80s nostalgia and the decades-spanning machinations of the far right.

She’s Always Hungry by Eliza Clark
(Faber, 7 November)
Following Boy Parts and Penance, this unsettling story collection from a blazing new voice in British fiction is linked by the theme of desire, whether for food or sex, perfection or power.

The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel (Harvill Secker, 19 November)
The Japanese author returns with a love letter to books and libraries, as a young man’s quest in search of his vanished girlfriend leads to a mysterious walled city.

Nonfiction

A Woman Like Me: A Memoir by Diane Abbott
(Viking, 19 September)
Britain’s first black female MP, now mother of the House of Commons, looks back on a trailblazing career in and out of the political mainstream.

Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love and Liberty
by Hillary Rodham Clinton (Simon & Schuster, 17 September)
Citizen: My Life After the White House by President Bill Clinton
(Hutchinson Heinemann, 21 November)
It’s a busy few months for the Clintons – and not just because of the knife-edge presidential election. The former presidential nominee and president are bringing out duelling accounts of their lives away from the political frontline.

The Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
(Little, Brown, 1 October)
The bestselling author returns to the theme of his breakout book, The Tipping Point, to look at how social contagion has changed amid Covid, the opioid crisis and increased political polarisation.

A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry
(Fern, 3 October)
The singer best known for her scene-defining 80s hit Buffalo Stance reflects on a life in music.

Powsels and Thrums by Alan Garner
(4th Estate, 10 October)
The powsels and thrums of the title are Cheshire dialect words meaning “dirty scraps and rags”. In this tapestry-like book, the author of Treacle Walker weaves memories and reflections into the story of a life in writing.

Unleashed by Boris Johnson
(William Collins, 10 October)
News of the former prime minister’s £510,000 advance after he resigned in 2022 may have raised eyebrows, but there’s no doubt his political memoir – covering the period from Brexit to his downfall – will be one of the news-making books of the autumn.

What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci
(Fig Tree, 10 October)
Following his bestselling 2021 memoir, Taste, the actor offers up a food diary with a difference: a portrait of life through daily meals, whether on set, with family or in mid-air.

I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart
(Michael Joseph, 10 October)
Hart’s latest nonfiction work is “her most personal yet”, according to her publisher, recapping the “deep revelations and challenging lows” of the last decade in the comedian’s private life, including, we are promised, a love story.

Patriot by Alexei Navalny
(Bodley Head, 22 October)
The Russian opposition leader’s death in custody at the beginning of the year shocked the world. His commitment to freedom of expression continues posthumously with a memoir, which he started writing after an earlier attempt on his life in 2020.

Sonny Boy by Al Pacino
(Century, 24 October)
The Oscar-winning method actor best known for The Godfather “has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide”, says his publisher – expect behind-the-scenes tales and philosophical musings.

World Without End by Christophe Blain and Jean-Marc Jancovici
(Particular, 24 October)
Energy expert Jancovici has teamed up with comic book author Blain to produce a unique take on the climate crisis in words and pictures. The whistle-stop tour of climate science, politics and what lies ahead was a No 1 bestseller in France.

V13: Chronicle of a Trial by Emmanuel Carrère
(Fern, 11 November)
In September 2021, French writer Carrère began attending the trial of those accused of the Bataclan attack – like 9/11, named after the date on which it occured, Vendredi 13. This is his harrowing week-by-week account of the proceedings.

The Serviceberry: An Economy of Gifts and Abundance by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Allen Lane, 19 November)
The author of Braiding Sweetgrass returns with a meditation on nature and how it can model a mode of being based on gift-giving and reciprocity, rather than consumption.

Freedom: Memories 1954-2021 by Angela Merkel
(Pan Macmillan, 26 November)
Assiduously tight-lipped since she left office, the former German chancellor is finally set to have her say: on governing, immigration, the European Union, and Putin.

Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher
(HarperCollins, 19 November)
The singer, who has released an an album in each of the last seven decades, brings us the first instalment of her multi-volume autobiography.

Children and teenagers

Reviewed by Imogen Russell Williams

The Fairytale Fan Club by Richard Ayoade, illustrated by David Roberts
(Walker, out now)
This witty, sardonic series of letters to and from fairytale figures – the disillusioned Little Mermaid, a split-in-two Rumpelstiltskin, hatched-out Humpty Dumpty,and more – explores life beyond the happily ever after. It’s the 8+ answer to The Jolly Postman.

Dexter Proctor, The Ten-Year-Old Doctor by Adam Kay, illustrated by Henry Parker
(Puffin, out now)
Super-smart Dexter graduates from medical school aged only 10. But young Dr Proctor isn’t always sure how to get along with patients and friends – and he’s made a dangerous enemy in the jealous Dr Drake. Can the world’s youngest doctor find his niche and scupper his rival’s schemes to get him fired? Kay’s 8+ fiction debut is drily hilarious and crammed with mordant metatextual footnotes.

Turtle Moon by Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold
(HarperCollins, 26 September)
When Silver’s artist dad gets the opportunity to travel to a rainforest turtle sanctuary, she and her mum are swept along for the ride – but can Silver’s determination to protect an endangered clutch help heal her family’s sorrow? A poignant, rich and thrilling 9+ conservationist adventure from the bestselling author of The Last Bear, with atmospheric black-and-white illustrations.

The History of Information by Chris Haughton
(DK, out now)
From the beginnings of language to the development of AI, this mind-expanding nonfiction book for 9+ examines the history of information-sharing via cave art, oral storytelling, print, postal networks, propaganda and computing, with Haughton’s characteristic graphic artwork effortlessly distilling complex concepts. An exciting, ambitious departure from an author best known for classic picture books.

When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson
(Walker, 24 September)
In Paradise Springs, California, the Fall siblings – Dizzy, Wynton and Miles – have struggled for years since their dad’s disappearance. When a miraculous rainbow-haired girl shows up in town, she seems to offer each of them a different hope, but her arrival starts a chain of events that will change their family’s future for ever. Featuring intricately interwoven love stories, curses, rivalries and misunderstandings, Nelson’s first book for ten years is a complex, seductive YA heartbreaker with a touch of magical realism.

Murder! By Narwhal by Alex T Smith
(Hachette, 31 October)
No one likes the wealthy, misanthropic Ignatious Gristle – but no one expects him to be found murdered at his country pile on his 90th birthday, least of all his inquisitive young granddaughter, who swiftly realises one of the family must be responsible. It’s up to plucky Edna and her trusty tortoise to crack the case in this outrageously funny, lavishly illustrated 8+ send-up of cosy crime tropes.

Heir by Sabaa Tahir (Little, Brown, 1 October)
Tahir returns to the world of her bestselling An Ember in the Ashes series in book one of a standalone duology set 20 years after the first quartet. Told from three perspectives – a vengeance-seeking orphan, an exiled tracker who uses magic to trace her quarry, and the heir to a martial empire – this fast-paced, epic, endlessly gripping YA fantasy blends themes of power, betrayal, love and sacrifice.

Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds (Faber, 8 October)
In 24 seconds, 17-year-old Neon will lose his virginity. Right now, he’s hiding in the bathroom, scared he’s about to mess things up. Twenty-four minutes earlier, he was arriving at his girlfriend’s house; 24 hours earlier, listening to his big sister’s advice about sex; 24 days earlier, going with his grandmother to visit his grandfather’s grave, and hearing about their first meeting … In this sweet, humorous, romantic 14+ sequence of “rewinds”, the Carnegie-winning Reynolds foregrounds respect, tenderness and love in the run-up to a boy’s first experience of sex.

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