Fiction

Some novels still dare to leave the reader’s hand unheld — without universal success

All novels should be like this: stripped of the necessary but boring connective tissue

From Oxford to Italy, the murders continue in 2024

It’s time for our annual guide to the best new fiction of the year

There is a jarring disconnect between Michel Houellebecq’s critiques of sexual liberation and his dissolute lifestyle

Their lurid covers were catnip to bloodthirsty, impressionable teenagers

Fictional nightmares can provide childish escapism rather than harsh truths

Spend time inside the mind of your most eccentric, sometimes maddening friend

It was more authentic than its “gritty” successors