On this final episode of The Writer and the Critic for 2021, your hosts, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond discuss birthdays, Halloween and Jewish Stuff before moving on to wax lyrical about this month's books: Little Eve by Catriona Ward [6:35] and Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford [36:35].

If you've skipped ahead to avoid spoilers, please come back at 1:16:45 for final remarks.

Next episode - in February 2022! - the two books up on the slab will be:

• When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut

• A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

Read ahead and join in the spoilerific fun!