Martin Amis

Depending on whom you want to listen to, House of Meetings is either Amis’ return to form or the newest evidence of a decade-long slide. We haven’t read it, but you do sort of know what to expect from Amis by now: He’s a sourpuss and a smarty-pants, and whether you like what he’s up to or loathe it, the man’s work is always unmistakably his. Here’s hoping the new book is an improvement on 2003’s wretched Yellow Dog.