Storytelling is as old as time and, whether it’s an award-winning epic novel or a page-turning blockbuster, a great book can stay with you throughout your life
Be it biography, history, nature writing or any other form of true story, non-fiction writing is often loaded with just as much suspense and character as the most exciting novel
Ian Sansom reviews regularly for the Guardian and the London Review of Books. His first book, The Truth About Babies, was published by Granta in 2002, and his second, Ring Road, by Fourth Estate in 2004.