Books
Sex, violence and anticlimax in 16 (very short) chapters
‘Now I am a mother and a married woman, but not long ago I led a life of crime,’ begins…
A Tokyo police procedural with a brilliant twist
The plot of Hideo Yokoyama’s Six Four begins in 1989, with the murder of Shoko, a seven-year-old girl. Fourteen years…
Which came first — the bowerbird or the egg?
What is it about birds? They are the wild creatures we see most often, their doings and calls a daily…
From Jekyll back to Hyde: the changing face of Begbie
Irvine Welsh’s 1993 debut novel Train-spotting flicked a hearty V-sign in the face of alarm-clock Britain. ‘Ah choose no tae…
At last – Going Clear is over here
At last! It has taken over two years, but a British publisher has summoned up the nerve to bring out…
Are Egypt’s obelisks more stunning even than the pyramids?
On the banks of the River Thames in central London, an ancient Egyptian obelisk, known as Cleopatra’s Needle, reaches towards…
T.E. Lawrence: from young romantic to shame-shattered veteran
T.E. Lawrence is seen as a ‘metaphor for imperialism, violence and betrayal’ in the Middle East. But woeful Arab leadership has also been to blame for the region’s problems, says Justin Marozzi
The waves that wrecked Britannia
Military history is more popular than respected. It is not hard to see why. It is masculine history, a trifecta…
All at sea — trying hard to stay afloat
‘This happens to other people.’ The Guardian journalist Decca Aitkenhead says she had heard the phrase countless times, interviewing the…
Further dispatches from Syria’s maelstrom
The mechanic, blinded in one eye by shrapnel, spent three days searching for his family in the destroyed buildings and…
A pilgrim’s progress to Santiago
In his friendly and beguiling voice, Jean-Christophe Rufin explains (in a way that reminded me of the pre-journey relish of…
Life gets faster — as the Earth slows down
Modern life is too fast. Everyone is always in a hurry; people skim-read and don’t take the time to eat…
The Cauliflower®: Nicola Barker’s divine comedy
Nicola Barker is both prodigiously talented and admirably fearless. I have loved her books. But for some time I had…
Self-portrait as Margaret Thatcher in a pink power-suit — by Grayson Perry
Well, he’s back. Though you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d never been away. Fresh from delivering the Reith lectures, exhibitions…
More family history from Knole and Sissinghurst
In deciding to write a book about her forebears and herself, Juliet Nicolson follows in their footsteps. Given that her…
Nine angst-ridden men
‘Insufficiency’ is a favourite David Szalay word. The narrator of his previous novel, Spring, suffered from ‘insufficiency of feeling’; in…
The life of Thomas De Quincey: a Gothic horror story
Frances Wilson’s biography of Thomas De Quincey, the mischievous, elusive ‘Pope of Opium’, makes for addictive reading, says Hermione Eyre
A woman’s version of the Trojan War
The Iliad begins with a grudge and ends with a funeral. In between are passages, if not necessarily of boredom,…
When London burned like rotten sticks
Spectator readers know Andrew Taylor from his reviews of crime fiction. Many will also know him as an admirable writer…
Quentin Blake brings comfort and joy
His professional achievements aside, Quentin Blake’s life has been rather short on biographical event, so this book is not a…
The Sunlight Pilgrims: a chilling tale of the new Ice Age
Every second novel is fated to be measured against its predecessor; and that comparison is particularly hard when the debut…
Sex behind the scenes at Sofia’s National Palace of Culture
Garth Greenwell’s debut novel is as dreary and oppressive as the Soviet-era apartment buildings among which it takes place. But…
The Easter Rising’s road to hell — paved with good intentions
While reading this book in a London café, I was politely buttonholed by an Irishman: ‘Sorry to disturb you, but…
From Auden to Wilde: a roll call of gay talent
The Comintern was the name given to the international communist network in the Soviet era, advancing the cause wherever it…
The heartbreaking story of becoming homeless in America
This is a very upsetting book. The Harvard sociologist Matthew Desmond spent a year and a half living in low-income…
