Fiction

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

“A Story Is Always a Question”: On Ali Smith’s “Companion Piece”
Smith’s new novel tests what a “pandemic novel” and a “pandemic author” might be.
Bailey SincoxJun 1, 2022
- Fiction
Weird and Pleasant: On Nell Zink’s “Avalon”
In Nell Zink’s “Avalon,” Huda Awan finds renewed hope for romance.
Huda AwanMay 28, 2022
- Fiction
Dancing with History: A Conversation with Vanessa Hua
Grace Loh Prasad speaks with Vanessa Hua about her new novel, “Forbidden City.”
Grace Loh PrasadMay 25, 2022
- Fiction
Sophomoric Sophomores: On Elif Batuman’s “Either/Or”
Batuman’s follow-up to her Pulitzer-nominated debut is another breathless exploration of college life.
Grace LindenMay 24, 2022
- Fiction
In the Tongue a Knife, in the Knife a Tongue: On Fernanda Melchor’s “Paradais”
Melchor’s new novel is overwhelming, violent, frightening, and leavened by a dark sense of humor.
Lowry PresslyMay 23, 2022
- Fiction
“Writing Was an Act of Survival”: A Conversation with Reyna Grande
The author discusses her latest novel, “A Ballad of Love and Glory,” a sweeping historical drama set during the Mexican-American War.
Alex EspinozaMay 19, 2022
- Fiction
Black Love Adrift in a Sea of Whiteness: On Asali Solomon’s “The Days of Afrekete”
A new entry in the genre of the Philadelphia Novel, characterized by a tangle of law enforcement, interracial romance, and social alienation.
Miranda FeatherstoneMay 19, 2022
- Fiction
Embracing Damnation: On Caio Fernando Abreu’s “Moldy Strawberries”
Jane Pritchard reads Caio Fernando Abreu’s newly translated “Moldy Strawberries,” originally published in 1982.
Jane PritchardMay 17, 2022
- Fiction
The Seduction of Truthiness: A Response
Daniel A. Segal responds to David N. Myers’s review of Joshua Cohen’s “The Netanyahus.”
Daniel A. SegalMay 15, 2022
- Fiction
Surrealism in Our Time: On Katya Kazbek’s “Little Foxes Took Up Matches”
A Russian folktale becomes the foundation for a political satire.
Anne GoldmanMay 13, 2022
- Fiction
Reality Is Something to Be Read: A Conversation with Hernan Diaz
The author discusses his new novel, “Trust,” about a wealthy New York financier in the 1920s and ’30s.
Brian CastleberryMay 10, 2022
- Fiction
Love Is a Cutthroat Business: On Naheed Phiroze Patel’s “Mirror Made of Rain”
A dark, brooding novel that explores the fissures of family with delicacy and conviction.
Anandi MishraMay 10, 2022
- Fiction