All Them Dogs by Djamel White review

Sparks fly in this homoerotic dance of desire and betrayal, from a powerful new voice in Irish literature

The Writers Who Can’t Let Go of the South

Southern experiences and traditions can be deeply compelling, even exotic, to Americans who live in other areas.

My Lover, the Rabbi by Wayne Koestenbaum review

With echoes of Balzac and Proust, this tale of obsessive love evokes the dangers and delights of forbidden desire

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

In some great books, readers watch a character become disillusioned with their dreams of joyful conformity.

The best recent poetry

Goyle, Chert, Mire by Jean Sprackland; The House of Broken Things by Kim Moore; The Tree Is Missing by Shannon Kuta Kelly; Dog Star by Michael Symmons Roberts; Horses by Jake Skeets

Sarah Hall: 'Everyone wangs on about Anna Karenina

The author on being inspired by Michael Ondaatje and how Hilary Mantel helped her overcome her aversion to historical figure novels

The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley review

Riley has always skewered cruelty with shattering exactitude. What’s new in this story of two old friends in London is the delicacy she brings to moments of tenderness

What we’re reading: writers and readers on the books they enjoyed in March

John Lanchester, Patmeena Sabit and Guardian readers discuss the titles they have read over the last month. Join the conversation in the comments

Children and teens roundup

Musical inspiration from Corinne Bailey Rae; danger in a magical academy; the adventures of an otter pup; a YA queer gothic fantasy, and more

Benjamin Wood: ‘John Fowles’s The Magus was so frustrating I threw it at the wall’

The author on the Steinbeck novel that moved him to tears, how becoming a father inspired him to reread Marilynne Robinson, and the culinary comforts of James M Cain

Love Lane by Patrick Gale review

This kindly and companionable story of a man returning to 50s England after living in Canada offers a colourful evocation of the times

Dan Simmons obituary

Multi-award-winning writer best known for his speculative fiction, but whose novels and novellas also spanned genres from crime to historical