NASCAR may now be a virtual byword for the hard-working, God-fearing red-state interior, but auto racing began as very much an upper-crust pastime.

Jennifer Haigh’s first novel, Mrs. Kimble, breathes new life into an old American archetype—the romantic con man.

In his new book, Francis Fukuyama offers evidence that things are bound to improve. It's a beautiful theory -- but has he read the papers lately?

A blue notebook holds the key to the overintricate plot of Paul Auster’s new novel about a blocked writer from—how did you guess?—Brooklyn.

There’s a new Booker Prize in town, open to Americans—and an anxious backlash in response. Meet the new British literary insecurity.

His memoir, in a translation that preserves the author’s gorgeous, discursive style and his love of wordplay, is a social history embedded within an autobiography.

Erik Larson’s new book balances beauty and terror in 1890s Chicago; Norman Mailer gives fiction lessons.

Nicole Krauss opens up about her curious life and her powerful second novel. Just don’t ask about her husband.

The Wedding
By Imraan Coovadia
A Mind of Its Own:
A Cultural History of the Penis
By David M. Friedman

Michel Faber has a striking talent for addressing lurid themes without resorting to the clichés of genre. .