Party down: Vietnam’s Communist leaders meet

At this week’s five-yearly congress there will be pride in the handling of the pandemic—but broader discontent and mounting protests should worry party bigwigs. We ask our education correspondent why so many American schools remain empty and what the long-run costs will be. And differentiating the difficult character of Patricia Highsmith from the litany of difficult characters she conjured.For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, subscribe here www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer