Perhaps Philip Roth’s most daring novel (which is really saying something), “Deception” reads like a giant “Fuck You” to traditional story structure. It is a book composed entirely of post-coital conversation, relying on the dialogue itself and deprived completely of dialogue tags or exposition. Risky? Very. Especially considering the protagonist is a man named Philip…

A thousand student writers in a thousand Creative Writing programs have–upon taking their first Nonfiction course–drafted a memoir about a father dying, or a mother, or a grandparent, or a friend, or a cousin, or a family pet. In the post-grad world, this is referred to without amusement as “The Dead Grandmother Story,” and it…

Diaz’s late-’90s short story, “The Sun, The Moon, The Stars,” is still one of my favorite short stories of all time: a fantastic and gritty voice, a real sense of conflict inherent in even the most mundane of everyday details and activities, and a compelling sense of inevitable doom for the everyman character, from page…

Written in chapters that alternate between the violent modern-day murders of the Lafferty brothers, and the 19th-century founding and pilgrimage of the Church of Latter Day Saints, “Under the Banner of Heaven” paints a grim picture of misguided faith. Krakauer is a skilled writer, and his ability to re-create narratives from over a century ago…

I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect with “Hell,” particularly because Robert Olen Butler seems to divide so many creative writers. Many of us love him, and many others absolutely hate him. But, after finishing “Hell,” I can only say that it is impossible to dispute his talent. Butler creates a magnificent vision…

“Tree of Smoke” is perhaps the greatest disappointment I’ve read in quite awhile. This might be a result of the consistently amazing reviews I found, or the National Book Award sticker, or even Johnson’s stellar reputation as a novelist, but at the same time, the book fails to engage the reader, and trudges along without…

“The Visiting Professor” is the sort of book that feels fresh and funny and interesting for about 100 pages, and then starts to wear down. Robert Littell seems to have taken a break from his favorite subject matter (the CIA), but not his favorite era (the Cold War) or one of his favorite types of…