Fiction Archive
Bad People and Bad Dreams in A Door Behind a Door
Yelena Moskovich’s novel is loose, dreamy, and symbol-packed. Characters morph and become nightmarish versions of themselves, and it is unclear if the transformation is real or only a bad dream.
The Purpose of Art in Rachel Cusk’s Second Place
Cusk's new novel is worth reading for its sharp descriptions and powerful story alone, but it’s the in-depth exploration of the purpose of art that makes the story meaningful.
Crossing Boundaries in Whereabouts
Jhumpa Lahiri’s new novel beautifully showcases the way we experience life: the moments that are most important—the turning points—are often only realized in retrospect.
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Caleb Azumah Nelson’s highly anticipated debut celebrates Black art and explores generational trauma.
Eat the Mouth That Feeds You by Carribean Fragoza
In her debut collection, Fragoza imagines a world where patriarchy can be eradicated and finds beauty in how Chicanx women come together.
The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez
In her new novel, Nona Fernandez delves into the fluctuations of memory, highlighting the media and society’s role in what we remember.
Love Like That by Emma Duffy-Comparone
Emma Duffy-Comparone’s debut refuses to shield the reader from unsavory elements of a story.
The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen
In his new novel, Viet Thanh Nguyen does not allow the reader to forget that fiction traffics in truth.
Tomorrow They Won’t Dare to Murder Us by Joseph Andras
Complicating conventional Western perceptions of terrorism, Joseph Andras’s debut novel subverts colonial morality and interrogates a philosophical dilemma that is still very much alive in our contemporary consciousness.
We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman
Silverman’s debut novel is not only a story about how all-consuming artistic ambition can be, but also a poignant portrait of how much an artist can learn to love her work.