Fiction

"Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." — Mark Twain

Aimee Molloy’s Maternal Horror
The gripping horror of Aimee Molloy’s “The Perfect Mother” lies in showing us the demons of motherhood in broad daylight.
Lily MeyerJun 13, 2018
- Fiction
- Gender & Sexuality
The Sensual Music of Sex in Allegra Huston’s “Say My Name”
Allegra Huston’s debut novel is suffused with sensual feeling.
Andrew GumbelJun 11, 2018
- Fiction
Processes of Memory: Christa Wolf’s “Eulogy for the Living: Taking Flight”
As part of a comprehensive guide to Christa Wolf’s often controversial literary history, "Eulogy for the Living" provides a perfect starting point.
Fiona BrysonJun 10, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
A Rifle on the Wall: Kevin Powers’s “A Shout in the Ruins”
"Powers seems more inclined toward over-regulation and order even as he’s trying to tell a story of disorder." On "A Shout in the Ruins."
Shehryar FazliJun 9, 2018
- Fiction
Everything Was a Fake
Nathan Scott McNamara reviews Helen DeWitt’s collection “Some Trick,” where we are granted access to 13 more of her mad performances.
Nathan Scott McNamaraJun 8, 2018
- Fiction
Fiction of Dystopian Times: Ahmed Saadawi’s “Frankenstein in Baghdad”
Rather than dystopian fiction, it’s more apt to call Ahmed Saadawi’s “Frankenstein in Baghdad” fiction of dystopian times.
Sam MetzJun 5, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
James Wood’s Subtle Subversions
Alexander C. Kafka finds James Wood’s “Upstate” a stirring novel of quiet, careful craftsmanship.
Alexander C. KafkaJun 5, 2018
- Fiction
Memento Park, a Backward Leap into the Future
Andre Hardy interviews Mark Sarvas about his new novel, "Memento Park."
Andre HardyJun 3, 2018
- Fiction
Odds and Ends: Fictive Probability in Helen DeWitt’s “Some Trick”
In DeWitt’s new collection “Some Trick,” keen insights give a distinctive glimpse at how moments of creation blossom.
Adam FalesMay 29, 2018
- Fiction
Sylvia Plath’s Magic Mirror
The duality that Sylvia Plath wrote about in her thesis provides the basis for the personality of Esther, the protagonist of Plath’s “The Bell Jar.”
Kelly Marie CoyneMay 26, 2018
- Fiction
An American Literary Hero’s Complicated Homecoming
In “Atticus Finch, The Biography,” historian Joseph Crespino exposes the complications of an American literary icon.
Rachel GordanMay 20, 2018
- Fiction
- Literary Criticism
Happy Families: Lara Vapnyar on Vesna Goldsworthy’s Adaptation of Tolstoy in “Monsieur Ka”
The richest aspect of Vesna Goldsworthy’s novel “Monsieur Ka” is not its literary gaming but its incessant attempts to make the reader question reality.
Lara VapnyarMay 19, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction