The Perils of a Post-Racial Utopia The Perils of a Post-Racial Utopia
In Nicola Yoon’s One of Our Kind, a dystopian novel of a Black upper-class suburb’s secrets, she examines the dangers of choosing exceptionalism over equality.
Nov 21, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse
Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti Possibility, Force, and BDSM: A Conversation With Chris Kraus and Anna Poletti
The two writers discuss the challenges of writing about sex, loneliness, and the new ways novels can tackle BDSM.
Nov 13, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Chris Kraus
Lore Segal’s Stubborn Optimism Lore Segal’s Stubborn Optimism
In her life and work, she moved through the world with a disarming blend of youthful curiosity and daring intelligence.
Nov 12, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Michele Moses
The Sheer Gusto of Jane DeLynn The Sheer Gusto of Jane DeLynn
1982’s In Thrall was a magnificent piece of queer fiction, at once comic and courageous.
Nov 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Colm Tóibín
Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Family Dramas Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Family Dramas
In her latest novel, Long Island Compromise, the novelist explores how a kidnapping transforms a suburban New York family.
Oct 30, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Erin Somers
Alba de Céspedes’s Marriage Plot Polemic Alba de Céspedes’s Marriage Plot Polemic
In the Cuban-Italian novelist’s Her Side of the Story, she confronts the falsity of romantic love.
Oct 9, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Rachel Vorona Cote
Sally Rooney’s Open Question Sally Rooney’s Open Question
In Intermezzo, we get characters acting out their political commitments instead of just talking about them. But is their vision of domestic cooperation enough?
Sep 24, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jess Bergman
The Brooklyn Potluck That Helped Black Literature Flourish The Brooklyn Potluck That Helped Black Literature Flourish
In Courtney Thorsson's cultural history The Sisterhood, she details how intimate gatherings played a role in the golden age of Black women's writing.
Sep 17, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Marina Magloire
How Historical Fiction Redefined the Literary Canon How Historical Fiction Redefined the Literary Canon
In contemporary publishing, novels fixated on the past rather than the present have garnered the most attention and prestige.
Sep 11, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Alexander Manshel
The Genius of Garth Greenwell The Genius of Garth Greenwell
Set abroad or at home, in unfamiliar worlds an ocean away or in an intensive care unit in Iowa, Greenwell's novels are songs of the self and of the United States as a whole.
Aug 28, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Hannah Gold