FictionReviewA finely observed Irish debut about a monstrous mother and dysfunctional siblings Kate slips away during a family dinner to throw a perfect baked alaska in the bin. “The freezer door was left open,” she lies to the gathered guests – her brothers Peter and Ray, and Ray’s wife, Liz. “The alaska’s ruined,” she declares, before packing them all off. The truth is that it’s not desserts that are collapsing in this observant debut about an Irish family who are confronted by tragedy in childhood and then forced to contend with the trauma of it in adulthood.

Australia news This article is more than 8 months oldGendy nooch, cozzie livs and murder noodle: Australian words lining up for a Macquarie dictionary debutThis article is more than 8 months oldLinguist says Australians are unique and creative as we ‘take each word and turn it into a diminutive and then put an S on the end’ Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Gendy nooch, cozzie livs and murder noodle.

Best foot forward: is there a way to introduce my fetishes into our relationship? Photograph: Flying Colours Ltd/Getty ImagesBest foot forward: is there a way to introduce my fetishes into our relationship? Photograph: Flying Colours Ltd/Getty ImagesSexual healingSexWhile my partner hasn’t rejected me, she feels feet are inherently unhygienic and won’t let me worship her as I would like. Are there any ways I can change her mind?I have had fetishes for feet and tickling since I was a teenager, but have never been confident in opening up about it before.

Book of the dayBiography booksReviewThe author emerges from this compelling biography as a difficult outsider whose twin passions were feckless men and drink In 1907, Ella Gwendoline (“Gwen”) Rees Williams sailed to England from Dominica, the Caribbean island of her birth, to attend school in Cambridge. Gwen, who was 16, had long dreamed of the motherland, but from the moment she landed at Southampton, her mood began to darken. If London, her first stop, was sooty and drab and populated by permanently indignant landladies, school was little better.

Australian TV reviewTelevision & radioReviewThis very funny and bingeable Netflix series sees an American ‘mafia negotiator’ disguise himself as a priest in a small Queensland town Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email After launching several underwhelming Australian TV shows –from the soapy supernatural drama Tidelands to the meek and messy Heartbreak High redux – Netflix has delivered a surprise early Christmas present: this very cunning, funny and bingeable 10-part comedy series based in a small coastal Queensland town.