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Illustration by Najeebah Al-Ghadban for The Atlantic The Impossible Fight to Live the Life You Want
In Lisa Ko’s ambitious, messy novel, characters go to extreme lengths in search of a purposeful existence.
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Martin Parr / Magnum Lunch at the Polo Club
A short story
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Arsh Raziuddin A Grim View of Marriage—And an Exhortation to Leave It
This American Ex-Wife vividly describes the liberating power of a divorce but falters when it tries to persuade readers to follow suit.
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Steve Pyke / Getty The Perfect Antidote to an Age of Angsty Literature
The spiky, unsentimental writings of Diana Athill refuse to romanticize emotional discontent.
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Illustration by Molly Fairhurst for The Atlantic The Joyful, Punk World of Plant-Based Eating
Alicia Kennedy’s new book is a paean to a life without meat. But she’s driven more by curiosity than a desire to convert her readers.
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Millennium Images / Gallery Stock When Domestic Life Is Like a Horror Story
An astonishing new novel captures the dichotomy at the heart of housework.
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Illustration by Anthony Gerace A Better Way of Buying—And Wanting—Things
A new book argues that we should honor our material desires rather than feeling ashamed of them.
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Illustration by Daniel Zender / The Atlantic; Getty A Biting Satire About the Idealistic Left
Eleanor Catton’s new novel, Birnam Wood, pokes at the pieties of those who want to change the world.
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Amanda Shaffer The Book That Teaches Us to Live With Our Fears
Wolfish explores the question of what, exactly, we perceive as threats.
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Tyler Comrie / Getty ; The Atlantic A Society That Can’t Get Enough of Work
A satirical 1883 pamphlet about workers who won’t quit has eerie resonance today.
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Erik Carter / The Atlantic; Getty Great Sex in the Time of War
A new entrant into the literature of conflict attends to gossipy intimacy as much as to beatings and bombings.
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Tyler Comrie / The Atlantic The Pandemic Novel That’s Frozen in Time
Stories that focus on the minor quirks of daily life can paradoxically help us see societal pain more clearly.
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John J. Custer / The Atlantic What We Gain From a Good-Enough Life
A new book challenges us to abandon greatness in favor of more attainable goals.
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The Atlantic; Getty The Cult Classic That Captures the Grind of Dead-End Jobs
Pop culture tends to romanticize bookstores as workplaces. Imogen Binnie’s Nevada does the opposite.
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The Atlantic; Philip Johnson Fund Don’t Look Away From Philip Guston’s Cartoonish Paintings of Klansmen
The artist’s depictions of bumbling “hoods” lure viewers into considering the proximity of evil.
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Adam Maida / The Atlantic ; Getty A Fascinating Portrait of a Country at a Turning Point
In his latest novel, Alejandro Zambra finally tackles Chile’s future, not its past.
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Adam Maida / The Atlantic In Defense of Fakeness
Novels partially based on their author’s life are more popular than ever. Ironically, invention built on the truth can be the best kind of escapism.
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Martin Parr / Magnum The Political Novel Gets Very, Very Specific
A sprawling new book set in the Obama era inquires into the value of public life.
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Vanessa Saba / Mondadori Portfolio / Getty On Rape Narratives and the Surprising Value of Plot
Why literary novels about wrenching events are taking more and more cues from crime writing
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Getty / Arsh Raziuddin / The Atlantic An Emotional Framework for Understanding the End of the Pandemic
The late philosopher Richard Wollheim can teach many of us valuable lessons about how to face the fear of returning to outside life.
