Fiction

Wrinkles in Time: On Joanna Ruocco

Wrinkles in Time: On Joanna Ruocco Wrinkles in Time: On Joanna Ruocco

For Joanna Ruocco, language is a multiplier of worlds, a portal to alternate realities.

Mar 3, 2011 / Books & the Arts / David Carroll Simon

The Ballad of John and J.D.: On John Lennon and J.D. Salinger The Ballad of John and J.D.: On John Lennon and J.D. Salinger

Mark David Chapman was carrying a copy of The Catcher in the Rye when he shot John Lennon. The murder was a collision of cultures.

Jan 27, 2011 / Books & the Arts / Charles Taylor

Perfect-Bound: On Elizabeth Hardwick

Perfect-Bound: On Elizabeth Hardwick Perfect-Bound: On Elizabeth Hardwick

Elizabeth Hardwick found New York's jittery impermanence and inchoate density to be an obstacle for the fiction writer.

Jan 19, 2011 / Books & the Arts / James Marcus

Empty Rooms: On Nicole Krauss

Empty Rooms: On Nicole Krauss Empty Rooms: On Nicole Krauss

Nicole Krauss's Great House swings from the evocative to the overcharged.

Jan 12, 2011 / Books & the Arts / Alexandra Schwartz

An Inventory of the Missing: On Frederic Tuten

An Inventory of the Missing: On Frederic Tuten An Inventory of the Missing: On Frederic Tuten

Frederic Tuten's Self Portraits is a backward glance on life that's vital, wistful and filled with sweet ache.

Dec 16, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Ben Ehrenreich

Kilito’s Way: On Abdelfattah Kilito

Kilito’s Way: On Abdelfattah Kilito Kilito’s Way: On Abdelfattah Kilito

In The Clash of Images Abdelfattah Kilito creates a touching portrait of a young man coming of age in French-occupied Morocco.

Dec 9, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Laila Lalami

The Maximalist: On Vasily Grossman

The Maximalist: On Vasily Grossman The Maximalist: On Vasily Grossman

Vasily Grossman's Everything Flows is a searching and humane investigation of the totalitarian condition.

Dec 2, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Jochen Hellbeck

Suitors: On Julia Holmes Suitors: On Julia Holmes

Julia Holmes's Meeks is a novel full of a jittery sadness and an uncontrollable kind of joy.

Nov 23, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Aaron Thier

The Whole Human Mess: On Saul Bellow

The Whole Human Mess: On Saul Bellow The Whole Human Mess: On Saul Bellow

Drollery, mordancy, tenderness and soul talk: Saul Bellow's letters are a Saul Bellow novel!  

Nov 23, 2010 / Books & the Arts / William Deresiewicz

Texts for Nothing? On Tom McCarthy Texts for Nothing? On Tom McCarthy

With C, Tom McCarthy asks us to see fiction as a crafty and adventurous playmate unafraid of its mortality.

Nov 4, 2010 / Books & the Arts / Ben Ehrenreich

x