THE BEST NEW RELEASES

Bewilderment Richard Powers William Heinemann £18.99

After the death of his wife, astrobiologist

Theo Byrne struggles to raise their son alone. Things go from bad to worse until he turns to experimental neurotherapy that transforms Robin into a Greta Thunberg-style campaigner. But when the boy becomes a thorn in the ultra-authoritarian government’s side, a Trump-like president decides he must be silenced. Brimming with observations about nature and space, this Booker-longlisted novel is intense and disturbing.

Anthony Gardner

Freight Dogs Giles Foden W&N £18.99

Foden is best known for The Last King Of Scotland, his novel about Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. He returns with this coming-of-age thriller centred on the wars that beset West Africa during the 1990s. We follow Manu, a teenage boy who joins a band of gun-smugglers after fleeing the massacre of his family in Zaire. Styled as full-throttle adventure, the story nevertheless throws light on a grim period of recent history. Anthony Cummins

Payday Celia Walden

Sphere £12.99 Columnist Celia Walden’s debut novel is a tricky and topical thriller set in an upmarket London property business, where male entitlement meets female grievance with devastating consequences.

Jamie Lawrence is the company’s charismatic figurehead, but he’s made enemies of three very different women. One night they vow to take revenge, yet none of their motives is as straightforward as it seems. A mystery that’s as thought-provoking as it is compelling.

John Williams

Hello, Stranger Will Buckingham

Granta £16.99

When Buckingham’s wife died in 2015, he decided to seek out the comfort of strangers, and in this thoughtful book he explores how different cultures – from Indonesia to China, and Birmingham to Myanmar – have always responded to strangers. This is a well-constructed, eloquent celebration of the traditions and rituals of hospitality and of opening your door to unknown guests.

Simon Humphreys