Fiction

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

Exhuming Lafcadio Hearn
Jeff Kingston looks at three new books by and on the extraordinary Lafcadio Hearn.
Jeff KingstonNov 5, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
All About Awe: A Conversation with Peter Heller
An adventure novelist talks about fishing, kayaking, friendship, and God.
Tom ZoellnerNov 2, 2019
- Fiction
“Our Own Madness, Our Own Absurd” (Andrei Platonov, Vladimir Sharov, and George Bernard Shaw)
Caryl Emerson ponders "Fourteen Little Red Huts" and the moral visions of Andrei Platonov, Vladimir Sharov, and George Bernard Shaw.
Caryl EmersonOct 30, 2019
Society Is the Biggest Murder Scene of All: Adrian Nathan West on Ingeborg Bachmann’s “Malina”
In Ingeborg Bachmann’s only completed novel “Malina,” translated by Philip Boehm, the first-person narrator is unnamed, or her name is simply "I".
Adrian Nathan WestOct 30, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Channeling Cervantes: On Salman Rushdie’s “Quichotte”
Brian Finney reviews “Quichotte,” the latest novel from Salman Rushdie.
Brian FinneyOct 29, 2019
- Fiction
“Call Me by Your Name” Gets a Dubious Sequel in André Aciman’s “Find Me”
Eric Newman reviews “Find Me,” André Aciman’s underwhelming sequel to “Call Me by Your Name.”
Eric NewmanOct 29, 2019
- Fiction
Ghosts Are Always There: An Interview with Téa Obreht on “Inland”
Rachel Barenbaum talks to writer Téa Obreht about her new novel, "Inland."
Rachel BarenbaumOct 28, 2019
- Fiction
Privilege Nostalgia: Reading Beckett During Brexit
What does the central role of literary disinheritance in Beckett's work teach us about those who voted for Brexit?
Eva KennyOct 26, 2019
The Butterfly Effect: On Rajia Hassib’s “A Pure Heart”
Can a novel that squanders a tantalizing premise ever recover? Rayyan Al-Shawaf reviews Rajia Hassib’s “A Pure Heart.”
Rayyan Al-ShawafOct 25, 2019
- Fiction
Small Comforts and Brief Glimpses of Beauty: On Etgar Keret’s “Fly Already”
Ben Libman is impressed by Etgar Keret's new short story collection, "Fly Already," which is less Kafka and more Coen Brothers.
Ben LibmanOct 24, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction
Reanimating “Frankenstein”: On Jeanette Winterson’s “Frankissstein”
Elena Sheppard reviews Jeanette Winterson's new novel, "Frankissstein."
Elena SheppardOct 23, 2019
- Fiction
The Body Is a Battlefield: On Maaza Mengiste’s “The Shadow King”
Francesca Capossela appreciates “The Shadow King” by Maaza Mengiste, which explores the role women played in the Ethiopian resistance to Italian invasion.
Francesca CaposselaOct 23, 2019
- Around the World
- Fiction