Fiction
Finely-turned tales of mothers, murder and love
We need a system where books that publishers really love, where it’s not mere puff, get a special sticker on the front, says John Self
Best of the year that was
Put down the pandemic novels: Here’s my favourite fiction of 2020
Timelessness trumps timely
What we have is pure storytelling delight, a page-turner that works forwards and backwards as the reader fills in the gaps
The writings of Lewis and Tolkien embody conservative environmentalism
The Conservative party were once the country party. They could be again. It might even net them some votes
Appealing and not-so appealing
If Martin Amis isn’t entertaining you on every page, then what’s the point of him?
Small, but perfectly formed
John Self examines three varied, emotionally satisfying novels that together come in at less than the length of a single Mantel
Miss Havisham on heroin
Natasha Green reviews Kitty Peck and the Music Hall Murders, by Kate Griffin
Me, Myself and I
The hip young authors who write about their greatest obsession – themselves
The Steiner of nether edge
Michael Henderson reviews A Small Revolution in Germany by Philip Hensher and Here We Are by Graham Swift
How to destroy football
“Blue cards” will only add to the confusion and subjective rulings we’re now seeing
War on Nazis in Oz and in the air
LeBor reviews Our Dad the Nazi Killer and Masters of the Air
The Midas touch
The kind of skill that makes the breath catch in thousands of throats at once
Dream teens
Promise is no guarantee of a long career
The spectre of the past
The “Great English Ghost Story” offers a form of comfort and is rooted in the ache of nostalgia for a more elegant era
Why we don’t police anti-Christian hate
Jewish and Muslim communities rightly get protections and attention from the government — but Christians are routinely overlooked
Doubting the new Ireland
The more traditions have been deconstructed, the more people have experienced a sense of loss
How the Greens blackened their name
The leadership of the Greens allowed gender fundamentalism to undermine the party
Murders for April
April is the cruellest month, breeding detective fiction out of the dry land
Down the primrose WPATH
Responsible medical authorities must reject the dangerous nonsense of gender-affirming care
What Britain should learn from Singaporean healthcare
How Singapore spends less and sees better outcomes
