Fiction

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

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
“Monster Portraits”: An Exploration of Identity That’s Entirely Unique
A captivating addition to the catalog of monsters in today's culture, Sofia and Del Samatar’s “Monster Portraits” strikes gold in a genre entirely its own.
Caro MaconMay 18, 2018
- Art & Architecture
- Fiction
The Crass Class in Christine Schutt’s “Pure Hollywood”
Christine Schutt’s poetic craftsmanship bumps up against her alienating treatment of lower-class characters.
Rebecca StonerMay 18, 2018
- Fiction
The Art and Activism of the Anthropocene, Part I: A Conversation with William T. Vollmann, Chantal Bilodeau, and David Wallace-Wells
Amy Brady of "Guernica" magazine presents the first conversation in the series “The Art and Activism of the Anthropocene.”
Amy BradyMay 16, 2018
Love’s Languishing in the “Last Stories” of William Trevor
Robert Allen Papinchak finds William Trevor’s posthumous collection “Last Stories” impeccable.
Robert Allen PapinchakMay 15, 2018
- Fiction
The Boy Who Stared Death in the Eye: On Gaito Gazdanov’s “The Beggar and Other Stories”
Eileen Battersby finds many riches in “The Beggar and Other Stories” by Gaito Gazdanov, translated from the Russian by Bryan Karetnyk.
Eileen BattersbyMay 15, 2018
- Around the World
- Fiction
A Necessary Fiction: Photography and Self-Image in Lynne Tillman’s “Men and Apparitions”
In “Men and Apparitions,” she seesaws between an analysis of physical pictures and an examination of the ways we picture ourselves and others.
Evan MoffittMay 14, 2018
Speaking for the Trees: Richard Powers’s “The Overstory”
What does it mean to make nonhuman nature the “overstory”? Can trees carry a novel's narrative, which usually relies on human characters and conflicts?
Claire Miye StanfordMay 10, 2018
- Fiction
Family Matters: On Rebekah Frumkin’s “The Comedown”
Bradley Babendir reviews Rebekah Frumkin’s “The Comedown,” a novel full of dramatic irony and striking dissonance.
Bradley BabendirMay 8, 2018
- Fiction
Deft Hand, Cold Heart: Rita Bullwinkel’s Debut “Belly Up”
Katharine Coldiron finds Rita Bullwinkel’s debut story collection skillful but distant.
Katharine ColdironMay 8, 2018
- Fiction