literary fiction

Kate Atkinson, author of Life After Life, on what it takes to be a writer — and how not everyone can do it.

In this interview, Book Club author Donna Tartt shares her inspiration for The Goldfinch and why it's a fallacy that culture, inevitably, is civilizing.

Elizabeth Gilbert shifts focus from her best-selling memoir to a new tale about a woman growing up in 19th-century America who searches for love while exploring the mysteries of science.

The book buzz this fall is all about the new novel from Marisha Pessl ( Special Topics in Calamity Physics ). When a famed but reclusive film director’s young daughter is found dead, the quick verdict is suicide. An investigative journalist begins to look into the matter, though, and soon finds himself trapped in a mystery reminiscent of the director’s many warped films. Think Twin Peaks meets X-Files and you have a good idea of the tone of this engrossing page-turner.

Wayne Grady, author of Emancipation Day, talks about why it’s important to explore our past and respect our roots—especially when it comes to healing deep, unseen wounds.