Which are the best books to get a better understanding of Brexit? For an economic perspective, we asked economics professor Jonathan Portes for his book recommendations in early 2017, less than a year after Britain's momentous decision. For more of a political/historical perspective, we turned to novelist Boris Starling, author of The Bluffer's Guide to Brexit. Our most recent interview on books to read about Brexit is with Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at Kings College London and Director of the UK in a Changing Europe project.

Andrew Hindmoor's best books on Modern British history includes Sunday Times journalist Tim Shipmans' second book in his highly readable (and often very funny) Brexit trilogy. It's called Fallout and follows the travails of Theresa May (and her special advisers, Nick and Fiona) as they try to implement Brexit

While on the subject of humour, if political satire is the prism through which you'd like to read about Brexit, there is a book specially for you: the Cockroach by Ian McEwan. That one of Britain's most distinguished novelists (and also a Five Books interviewee) should write a book where the prime minister and most of his cabinet are cockroaches, is a startling and rather shocking indication of the ruptures Brexit has caused in British society. The audiobook, read by British comic actor Bill Nighy, is still very funny.

Last but not least, if spy novels are your thing, it turns out even John Le Carré has written a Brexit book with his thriller, Agent Running in the Field. Le Carré died in December 2020, so it may well be the last book written by the greatest spy novelist of the 20th century.

No understanding of Brexit is, of course, complete without understanding the European Union and its single currency, the Euro.