Flannery O’Connor at 100: should we still read her?

She died before she was 40, leaving behind a body of blazingly original short fiction set in America’s segregated south. But her reputation has been tarnished by accusations of racism

In brief: 33 Place Brugmann; The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire; A History of the World in 47 Borders – review

Residents of a Brussels apartment block contend with Nazi occupation; the existential threats to humanity explored; and a lively study of national and political boundaries

On the Clock by Claire Baglin review – a fast food novel for a refined palette

Tensions sizzle alongside burgers in the hazy timelines and brisk prose of the French writer’s disorienting debut

I Hope You’re Happy by Marni Appleton review – a darkly comic look at millennial womanhood

Eleven short stories tackle mother-daughter relationships and the curse of social media with insight and humour

From The Simpsons to Werner Herzog: the coolest, craziest, scariest Nessies ever

Loch Ness Monster hunters have included the Chuckle Brothers – and even David Lean. As the Scottish icon is honoured in a new stamp and a stirring musical, we separate the classy from the crackpot

Universality by Natasha Brown review – a fabulous fable about the politics of storytelling

A terrific second novel from the British author of Assembly examines what it means to be truthful – and who really benefits when facts come to light

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue review – countdown to disaster

A train on a fateful trajectory is the location for a zippy Agatha Christie-like thriller giving a taste of life in fin-de-siècle France

The Guardian view on climate fiction: no longer the stuff of sci-fi

A new prize recognises the power of storytelling to address the biggest issue of our time

Stag Dance by Torrey Peters review – genre games and gender mischief

The follow-up to Detransition, Baby is a collection of short works ranging from dystopia to romance that delight in complicating identity politics

The Clinking by Susie Greenhill review – a stunning, devastating debut

The Richell Prize-winner’s novel, set in a near-future lutruwita/Tasmania, asks what does it mean to have hope in the face of climate crisis?

I Want to Go Home But I’m Already There by Róisín Lanigan review – a housing crisis ghost story

London’s property market is the villain in this wry gothic novel for generation rent

Debut picture book author wins $125,000 for autobiographical ‘visual feast’

Nukgal Wurra author and artist Wanda Gibson became the first person to win the Victorian premier’s literary award in both the children’s and overall categories for her book Three Dresses

Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah review – love and betrayal from the Nobel laureate

This is a powerful story of debt and obligation set against the tourism boom in post-colonial Tanzania

Samantha Harvey and Téa Obreht shortlisted for inaugural Climate fiction prize

The Orbital and Morningside authors join Abi Daré, Roz Dineen and Kaliane Bradley in the running for the £10,000 award, for inspiring ways to ‘rise to the challenges of the climate crisis with hope and inventiveness’

Blanche d’Alpuget on her racy new detective novel: ‘All my books have had quite a bit of sex’

The author and widow of former prime minister Bob Hawke turns from political biography and historical fiction to a crime caper set in Sydney’s eastern suburbs