Books

Murders for June

Prepare to be taken to church – this month offers up rich description, promising debuts, and a clerical mystery that manages moral seriousness

Houellebecq, joy and Jesus

A morbid pessimist reminds us of the purity of faith

Words can never hurt?

A new satire skewers the publishing industry

Unflinching view of a fall from grace

If Carrère can be so honest, there is hope for lesser sinners

Names in the frame

All human emotions find their expression on the green baize

Young, gifted — and readerless

Why have we never heard of most of the young writers on the latest “Best of …” list?

Against inhumane architecture

A new book deconstructs nihilistic pretensions of intellectuals

Cutting Edge

A new novel brilliantly skewers gender theory

The making of a modern prophet

Taylor’s impressive second biography of Orwell is more than justified

Sterility as liberation

Sex positivity drains the erotic of existential meaning