Fiction

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

Charles Bukowski’s Lush Life: “Post Office” and the Utopian Impulse
Half a century after publication, Bukowski’s novel remains a protean depiction of Los Angeles’s beauty and squalor.
Peter RichardsonMar 7, 2022
- Fiction
Inside Out: Moments of Affinity in Xue Yiwei’s “Celia, Misoka, I”
Megan Walsh reviews “Celia, Misoka, I” by Xue Yiwei.
Megan WalshMar 4, 2022
- Fiction
Demolishing the Tyranny of Chronology: On Sandro Veronesi’s “The Hummingbird”
A bravura Italian novel about the points in life where “[all the] pain is concentrated.”
Cory OldweilerMar 4, 2022
- Fiction
The Ghosts of Patriarchy
Edith Wharton’s ghost stories show that there is nothing scarier than life (and death) under patriarchy.
Nora ShaalanMar 3, 2022
- Fiction
Reading “The Books of Jacob” with — and Against — the Riverhead Reader’s Guide: A Reader’s Guide
Marek Makowski wends his way through Jennifer Croft’s translation of “The Books of Jacob,” a novel by Nobel laureate Olga Tokarczuk.
Marek MakowskiMar 1, 2022
- Fiction
Unreliable Witness: On Fiona Snyckers’s “Lacuna”
An aggressive revisionist take on J. M. Coetzee’s classic novel “Disgrace.”
Steven G. KellmanFeb 28, 2022
- Fiction
The Ultra-Rich Are Different: On Rafael Chirbes’s “Cremation”
The profundity of this sweeping book comes from its fierce attention to particulars.
Nathan Scott McNamaraFeb 24, 2022
- Fiction
Matter-of-Fact Fabulism: On Daniel A. Olivas’s “How to Date a Flying Mexican”
A magical collection of modern-day folktales by a master storyteller.
Michael NavaFeb 24, 2022
- Fiction
An Appeal for Witnesses: On Lola Lafon’s “Reeling”
A novel about how France has handled cases of sexual assault and gender-based violence in light of #MeToo.
Sandra SimondsFeb 22, 2022
- Fiction
Lost Beneath the Waves of Time: Jane Gaskell in/and the ’60s
Remembering one of the most celebrated — and now largely forgotten — writers of an unforgettable decade.
Rob LathamFeb 21, 2022
- Fiction
Save Yourself: On Shahriar Mandanipour’s “Seasons of Purgatory”
Mandanipour’s characters oscillate between stoicism and struggle, fantasy and certainty.
Lee ThomasFeb 17, 2022
- Fiction
A Life in Freefall: On Marc Kristal’s “Permission”
A literary romp with booze, coke, and prostitutes told with surgical precision, unpreachy humility, and continuous insight.
Gabriel HartFeb 16, 2022
- Fiction