I reviewed Grand Union, Zadie Smith's impressively diverse and energising first collection of short stories, in the i-paper

Salman Rushdie's new novel, Quichotte, is a Pynchonesque take on Cervantes, and a significant return to form. I reviewed it for the i-paper

The Offing, Benjamin Myers' first novel after The Gallows Pole, is a lyrical lament for a vanished summer. Here's my review in The Guardian

Good news. My second novel Jacob's Advice is now 100% funded with Unbound. Thanks to everyone here who generously supported the book. Publication pencilled for next September. See you at the launch!...Jx

The handsome Unthanks Unthology #11 contains a story of mine. Here's a piece on how I came to write The Night Nurse

I went on TRT World to talk about the 2019 Orwell Prize for Fiction, and why novels might provide a truer picture of the times than non-fiction. Watch it here

I reviewed Sweet Sorrow, David Nicholls' funny and forensic exploration of first love, in the i-paper