“Jane O’Sullivan on first lines in fiction.”
novels
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Haunting in Brooklyn
“At 25, I saw my grandfather’s ghost. At 52, I think of what it may mean to be a ghost.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
George Saunders Says Ditching These Three Delusions Can Save You
“He’s as flawed a human being as anyone else, one who’s still wrestling with questions about how best to move through life with a modicum of grace and compassion.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Did a Best-Selling Romantasy Novelist Steal Another Writer’s Story?
“Tracy Wolff, the author of the ‘Crave’ series, is being sued for copyright infringement. But romantasy’s reliance on standardized tropes makes proving plot theft tricky.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Recognizing the Stranger
“What in fiction is enjoyable and beautiful is often terrifying in real life.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
I’m Looking to Jump Ship Sooner Than I Should: A Conversation with Percival Everett
“We abandon stories. They don’t end.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘The Ways of Fiction Are Devious Indeed’
“Finding current relevancy—and outrage—in the accusations of plagiarism that have long haunted a classic of the West: Wallace Stegner’s Angle of Repose.”
Posted inCommentary, Essays & Criticism, Highlight, Quotes
When Time Costs Too Much
If you are the family breadwinner, how do you calculate the value of time with your children?
Posted inBooks, Fiction, Story
‘I’m a Big Fan of Writing To Find Out What You Don’t Know.’
Mark Haber discusses “Reinhardt’s Garden” and its protagonist’s quest for a true understanding of melancholy: “not a feeling but a mood, not a color but a shade, not depression but not happiness either…”
Posted inStory
‘I Was Interested in the People Who Are Stuck With These Memories.’
Steph Cha discusses her new novel “Your House Will Pay,” the LA Riots, the Korean American Angeleno community, her 3,600 Yelp reviews, and pushing back against gatekeepers in publishing.