Reviews & Essays

Great Expectations

PERSONAL HISTORY

Great Expectations

Essay by Jessica Ferri ×

With pregnancy came plenty of time to read -- and uncertainty about how that would change with a baby. Essay by Jessica Ferri.

A Disappearance in Damascus

CURRENT EVENTS

A Disappearance in Damascus

By DEBORAH CAMPBELL

Reviewed by Barbara Spindel ×

Deborah Campbell came to Syria to follow the story of Iraqi refugees -- until the story became about her Iraqi colleague's arrest....

Silence, s’il vous plaît!

BEYOND CATEGORY

Silence, s’il vous plaît!

By Melissa H. Pierson ×

The discovery of a cache of Marcel Proust's letters -- and a new translation by Lydia Davis -- help give us a portrait of the easily-distracted writer at work. Essay by Melissa H. Pierson.

Mind the Gap: Jac Jemc’s Haunting Fiction

FICTION

Mind the Gap: Jac Jemc’s Haunting Fiction

By Michele Filgate ×

The author of "The Grip of It" talks about her disturbing story about trust, marriage, and one creepy house. Profile my Michele Filgate.

Half-light: Collected Poems 1965–2016

POEMS

Half-light: Collected Poems 1965–2016

By FRANK BIDART

Reviewed by Troy Jollimore ×

A new collection of Frank Bidart's poetry -- longlisted for the National Book Award -- is "one of this year's major English-language poetry events." Review by Troy Jollimore.

From Hookup Culture to Viagra Nation

CULTURAL STUDIES

From Hookup Culture to Viagra Nation

By Julia M. Klein ×

Two new books look at back at the 1990s as a time when a "sea change" inaugurated a new era of sexual freedom in America, and both are skeptical that it worked out for the best. Review by Julia...

A Legacy of Spies

ESPIONAGE

A Legacy of Spies

By JOHN LE CARRÉ

Reviewed by Anna Mundow ×

The master of the Cold War spy thriller returns to the aftermath of one of his classic works, and to the ghost of George Smiley....

The Dunkirk Spirit

HISTORY

The Dunkirk Spirit

By Tom Carson ×

In the wake of Christopher Nolan's film version of the iconic rescue of British forces comes Michael Korda's account. Review by Tom Carson

My Absolute Darling

FICTION

My Absolute Darling

By GABRIEL TALLENT

Reviewed by Sarah L. Courteau ×

Gabriel Tallent's thriller -- in which a resourceful teenage girl tries to survive the grip of her violent, charismatic father -- matches lyrical prose to a page-turning story....

Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution

SCIENCE

Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution

By JONATHAN B. LOSOS

Reviewed by Hamilton Cain ×

Evolution is not only how life today emerged, writes Jonathan B. Losos -- it's also changing us more rapidly than we tend to think. Review by Hamilton Cain.

A List of Fears: Megan Stielstra and “The Wrong Way to Save Your Life”

ESSAYS

A List of Fears: Megan Stielstra and “The Wrong Way to Save Your Life”

By David L. Ulin ×

Where's the line between art and life? For Megan Stielstra, that may be the question at the heart of her provocative essays. By David L. Ulin.

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

CURRENT EVENTS

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

By Peter Lewis ×

Two new books look at the flaws in the American criminal justice system. Can they be repaired? Review by Peter Lewis.