Bennett’s narrator begins by recalling her time with Xavier, a man whom she loved for many years. In fact, she still loves him, but he is much older than her and their relationship is no longer ...

The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. The plot, like those of ...

Claire-Louise Bennett's "Checkout 19" is the novel of a lifelong love affair between a narrator with no name and love interests that range from Aristotle, Anais Nin and Anne Frank to Iris Murdoch, ...

The distance between writing and the outside world is often enormous. Why are writers bent with mental labor, away from the bustle of society? At their best, authors transform their longing into focus ...