Fiction

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

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  How to Be a Medieval Woman: On Mary Sharratt’s “Revelations”

  Mary Sharratt’s historical novel about Margery Kempe is engaging but marred by anachronism.

  Lucia TangJun 5, 2021

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  Prisoners of the Page: On Myron Brinig’s “The Flutter of an Eyelid”

  Woody Haut wanders into the apocalyptic world of “The Flutter of an Eyelid,” a satirical novel by Myron Brinig from 1933, republished last year.

  Woody HautJun 5, 2021

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  The So-Called Greatest Country in the World

  A hilarious satire about a mail-order-bride service, a stolen Egon Schiele painting, and an epic collision between the worlds of Santa Barbara and Moldova.

  Kate TsurkanJun 3, 2021

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  The Ongoing Nakba and the Grammar of History

  Shir Alon considers what Adania Shibli's "Minor Detail" and the work of Saidiya Hartman share.

  Shir AlonJun 3, 2021

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  Before “Migrant Mother”

  A novel of Dorothea Lange’s formative years in San Francisco, before she went on the road.

  Elaine ElinsonJun 2, 2021

  • Fiction

• Gardens in a War Zone: A Conversation with Gian Sardar

  Gian Sardar discusses her new novel about Kurdish American immigrants, “Take What You Can Carry.”

  Yoojin Grace WuertzMay 31, 2021

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  The Wealth of an Intimate History: On Wendell Berry’s “Stand By Me”

  Wendell Berry’s lifelong ruminations on the theme of human community culminate in his story collection, “Stand By Me.”

  John-Paul HeilMay 30, 2021

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  Homemaking: On Olivia Sudjic’s “Asylum Road”

  Ariel Saramandi reviews “Asylum Road” by Olivia Sudjic.

  Ariel SaramandiMay 29, 2021

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  Secondhand Desire: On Sanjena Sathian’s “Gold Diggers”

  Sanjena Sathian’s new novel is a sharp satire of second-generation Indian American strivers.

  Anita FelicelliMay 28, 2021

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  Building Lives on Sand: On Natalia Ginzburg’s “Family” and “Borghesia”

  Lynne Sharon Schwartz reflects on meeting Natalia Ginzburg, maintaining a life-long relationship to her work, and reading “Family” and “Borghesia” in translation.

  Lynne Sharon SchwartzMay 27, 2021

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  Gentrifi(Kink)tion: Sex Writing Goes Literary, Again

  Daniel Felsenthal on the presumptions and missed opportunities of “Kink.”

  Daniel FelsenthalMay 27, 2021

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  Waking from Dreams: Haruki Murakami’s Short Stories

  Haruki Murakami’s new collection of stories is an assortment of alluring, mysterious dreams.

  Randy RosenthalMay 26, 2021

  • Fiction