A life in ...BooksInterviewLarissa MacFarquhar interview: ‘People think I’m a total freak for not using the first person’ David WolfThe New Yorker profile writer talks about the joys of non-fiction, mimicking her subjects’ styles and the strange case of ‘moral saints’Very, very virtuous people are easy to dislike. These aren’t the kind of people who are simply nice to their friends and family, and generous to strangers, and donate to charity, and maybe do some volunteering at the weekend.

OpinionTrump administration This article is more than 5 years oldManners or morals? The choice is easy when the stakes are this highThis article is more than 5 years oldFrancine ProsePeople like the owner of the Red Hen restaurant have a right to express opinions about how government is being conducted On 22 June, Stephanie Wilkinson, owner of The Red Hen, a restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, asked one of her customers – Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary – to leave.

Stone Fruit: ‘our trio turn into furry beasts, all snouts and teeth’. Illustration: Lee LaiStone Fruit: ‘our trio turn into furry beasts, all snouts and teeth’. Illustration: Lee LaiGraphic novel of the monthComics and graphic novelsReviewLai’s debut graphic novel is a downbeat but moving exploration of the aftermath of a relationship Lee Lai’s graphic novel, Stone Fruit, named after a nectarine on which one of its characters chips a tooth, is not much of a book for spring.

Where to start withBooksWhere to start with: James JoyceAlways wanted to tackle the great Irish writer but not sure Ulysses is for you? This handy primer may just help you find a way in The books of James Joyce, along with Middlemarch and War and Peace, were among the titles that many vowed to read when the UK was plunged into its first coronavirus lockdown. Almost two years later, we now know that most of us filled all that time indoors with Netflix and Zoom quizzes rather than catching up on lengthy classics (apart from the author David Mitchell, who did read Ulysses in 2020).

Observer New Review Q&ATheatreInterviewActor Lucas Hedges: ‘I love nostalgia, so walking around England is another level’Michael HoganThe American star of Manchester By the Sea on making his West End debut in the world premiere of Brokeback Mountain, escaping tragic film roles, and nepo babies Brooklyn-born Lucas Hedges, 26, began his acting career in his teens with a supporting role in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. His breakthrough was Manchester By the Sea, which earned him an Oscar nomination.