Reviews & Essays

In a Lonely Place

REDISCOVERY

In a Lonely Place

By DOROTHY B. HUGHES

Reviewed by Charles Taylor ×

A new edition of Dorothy Hughes's classic work of crime fiction paints a portrait of an all-too-human monster. Essay by Charles Taylor....
Extend and Pretend

CURRENT EVENTS

Extend and Pretend

By Christopher Byrd ×

Two works of fiction bring to daunting life the human consequences of an economic crisis. By Christopher Byrd.
Heretics!: The Wondrous (and Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy

IDEAS

Heretics!: The Wondrous (and Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy

By STEVEN NADLER and BEN NADLER

Reviewed by Peter Lewis ×

Philosophy seem like a dry subject? A tour through its "revolutionary era" in comics format may change your mind. Review by Peter Lewis.
Doubt and Disruption: Ellen Ullman’s Life in Code

COMPUTERS

Doubt and Disruption: Ellen Ullman’s Life in Code

By Joy Press ×

Ellen Ullmann has been casting an expert -- and sometimes skeptical -- eye over the tech world since the dawn of the digital era. Profile by Joy Press.
The Blinds

FICTION

The Blinds

By ADAM STERNBERGH

Reviewed by Mark Athitakis ×

In the new novel from the author of "Shovel Ready," a radical experiment with memory creates a surreal, fragile community In an isolated Texas town.
There’s a Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak

BEYOND CATEGORY

There’s a Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak

By JONATHAN COTT

Reviewed by Melissa H. Pierson ×

In the books of the late Maurice Sendak, each haunting page represented a doorway into a world of imagination -- one that contained trauma and delight in equal measure....
The End of Eddy

LIVES

The End of Eddy

By ÉDOUARD LOUIS

Reviewed by Rafia Zakaria ×

In Édouard Louis's autobiographical novel, growing up gay in a working-class community in France meant living with a starkly divided self. Review by Rafia Zakaria.
The Genre of Life: On Frank Robinson and Samuel Delany

LIVES

The Genre of Life: On Frank Robinson and Samuel Delany

By Paul Di Filippo ×

Revelations and riches in a memoir from a pioneer of pulp fiction and a new collection of journals from an SF icon. Review by Paul Di Filippo.
Proust, Hardy, and Spam: 10 Things I Learned About Literature from Monty Python

COMEDY

Proust, Hardy, and Spam: 10 Things I Learned About Literature from Monty Python

By Chris Barsanti ×

Why growing up obsessed with world's most literate comedy troupe ought to be worth college credit. By Chris Barsanti.
The Middlepause: On Life After Youth

LIVES

The Middlepause: On Life After Youth

By MARINA BENJAMIN

Reviewed by Barbara Spindel ×

In a culture obsessed with looking and feeling young, writer Marina Benjamin faces fifty head-on in her memoir. Review by Barbara Spindel.
Do Not Become Alarmed

FICTION

Do Not Become Alarmed

By MAILE MELOY

Reviewed by Veronique de Turenne ×

In Maile Meloy's new novel, a carefully controlled vacation gives way to crisis, and reveals the thin membrane that surrounds a "predictable" life.
Out in the Open

FICTION

Out in the Open

By JESÚS CARRASCO; Translated by MARGARET JULL COSTA

Reviewed by Hamilton Cain ×

Margaret Jull Costa's translation threads her way through Jesus Carrasco's new novel "as if every word contained a trap."...
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