Richard Osman’s bland Britain
How did the TV presenter’s terminally twee stories of death and Waitrose become the bestselling novels in the UK?
ByBook reviews
Read all the latest book reviews from the New Statesman and discover the best novels, non-fiction, essays and biographies. If you’re looking for something more specific, explore our sections dedicated to politics books and history books.
How to build a dictionary
A new book identifies the army of amateurs, eccentrics and criminals who created the Oxford English Dictionary.
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The strange rebirth of Sinn Féin
Under Mary Lou McDonald the party is on the path to power – but can she keep its uneasy alliance…
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Hobbes was wrong
John Gray’s latest book argues that the new Leviathans of liberalism have led to a war of all against all.
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From Yiyun Li to Wolfram Eilenberger: new books reviewed in short
Also featuring Kenneth W Harl’s history of nomadic tribes and Redstone Press’s Seeing Things.
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Homer’s history of violence
Emily Wilson’s translation of the Iliad reveals a bleak vision of the self-interest and savagery of humankind.
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Anne Enright’s damaged lives
In The Wren, The Wren, the Irish author rigorously traces the line between love and trauma.
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Still fighting the history wars
Debates about Britain’s colonial legacy are not just a product of Brexit or woke politics – empire has always been…
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The cruelty of cricket
Nick Compton had talent and a famous name, but the unforgiving sport both hid and exacerbated his insecurities.
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Europe’s race delusions
Built on imperial amnesia and competing nationalisms, the EU has never been the beacon of inclusion it claims to be.
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From Daljit Nagra to Charlie Porter: new books reviewed in short
Also featuring National Dish by Anya von Bremzen and Metropolitan by Andrew Martin.
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The revenge of Theresa May
In a forceful account of political scandals and injustices, May skewers her enemies and owns her mistakes.
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A comic story of Britain
This history of comedy contains much moralising – but the best creations transcend the monstrousness of their characters.
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Zadie Smith: the reluctant historical novelist
The author’s first period piece, The Fraud, is curiously absent of her usual strengths. Was her heart really in it?
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David Runciman’s armchair politics
In the recycled wisdom of his new book The Handover, the supremacy of the state is unquestioned and its inequities…
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Colleen Hoover’s tales of love and trauma
Aided by an online fanbase, the author has sold over 20 million novels. What makes these formulaic books so marketable?
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From Helen Macdonald to Mary Jean Chan: new books reviewed in short
Also featuring Homer and His Iliad by Robin Lane Fox and Chaos Kings by Scott Patterson.
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The 14 best books to help you understand Vladimir Putin’s Russia
This list offers the most incisive books on the past and present of Russia and its president.
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From Tom Holland to Deborah Bonello: new books reviewed in short
Also featuring The Bay by Julia Rampen and Nowhere To Run by Jonathan Sayer.
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Catherine Taylor’s The Stirrings: a memoir of girlhood in a time of rebellion
These reflections of 1970s Sheffield are steeped in the Cold War and the shadow of the Yorkshire Ripper.
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