A cult US author investigates addiction and apocalypse in a hallucinatory tale that’s as sobering as a blast of cold air

The follow-up to Spill Simmer Falter Wither is a fascinating portrait of an artist’s breakdown in rural Ireland

Unhappy at how economics is out of touch with reality and defined by an elite, Joe Earle, Cahal Moran and Zach Ward-Perkins sum up their explosive call for change

This is a marvellous, personal account of the border zone between Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, from the Ottomans to cold war menace and beyond

A Sicilian expat captures the enduring presence of the mafia in this book of unsettling everyday photographs

Is empathy the bedrock of morality? Two new studies suggest there is confusion around its meaning – and its usefulness in creating a more caring society

The borders between humankind and nature, the hunter and the hunted, are explored in short pieces from the Hungarian great

A 19th-century Irish village is ruled by folklore and superstition in this compelling followup to the bestselling Burial Rites

There is no ‘hard problem’ and consciousness is no more mysterious than gravity, Dennett claims in this study of the evolution of minds

The Labour MP’s book includes the subjects most political memoirs leave out, and ends with a feminist manifesto

David Bowie’s early golden years are vibrantly retold by French cartoonist Nejib in a bold biography that will delight fans old and new

Three vivid memoirs reveal the horrific pull – and possible benefits – of illicit substances

David Bellos’s history of a bestseller written in exile puts Victor Hugo’s great novel centre stage once more

A sleepless mother and daughter wander their house by night while a girl accepts a ride from a stranger in a collection of breathtaking delicacy

This 20th-century epic, Auster’s first novel in seven years, sees one hero lead four lives

What makes this nuanced ‘new history’ stand out is its use of unpublished interviews with eyewitnesses

This expert and elegant history of art dealers provides background to today’s art world, funded by ‘idiots with pretensions’

Pinborough’s twisty psychological thriller culminates with a plot twist worthy of the publisher’s #WTFthatending hashtag

A trenchant study of how anger and violence have influenced modern societies will have you fearing the worst

This history of the queen of cities through the ages is important, entertaining and impressively researched

An elderly woman tells the story of her life to a young alcoholic in this lyrical, thought-provoking tale which thumbs its nose at narrative convention

Cinematic scenes of seduction and confession jostle with film analysis in this fresh approach to the novel

Class divisions are as real as ever – it’s the politicians who have changed their priorities, as this illuminating book shows

The psychologist provides more evidence that the inequality of the sexes in society is cultural not natural