![A Bell With a Distant Ring](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Pham_Yasunari-Kawabata_ap.jpg)
A Bell With a Distant Ring A Bell With a Distant Ring
There is much to learn from Yasunari Kawabata’s final novel, even as—especially as—it gives rise to more questions than answers.
Jan 29, 2018 / Larissa Pham
![Carmen Maria Machado’s Earnest Vision](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Pham_Carmen-Maria-Machado.jpg)
Carmen Maria Machado’s Earnest Vision Carmen Maria Machado’s Earnest Vision
Her new fiction collection reminds us that a new, more inclusive world is possible.
Oct 6, 2017 / Larissa Pham
![Mary Gaitskill Remains Open to Opposition](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Pham_Mary-Gaitskill.jpg)
Mary Gaitskill Remains Open to Opposition Mary Gaitskill Remains Open to Opposition
The closest thing we get to a precept in Somebody with a Little Hammer is that we should all try to learn to think for ourselves—and, even then, things can go wrong.
Jun 19, 2017 / Larissa Pham
![Eleanor Chai / Standing Water](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/standing_water_eleanor_chai_otu_img.jpg)
What Breeds in ‘Standing Water’ What Breeds in ‘Standing Water’
Eleanor Chai’s poems require delving below the surface of each compact, enjambment-packed stanza, forcing the reader through a process of discovery not unlike Chai’s own origin sto...
Jul 29, 2016 / Larissa Pham
![Tony Tulathimutte’s Worst-Case Scenarios](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Tony-Tulathimutte-c-Lydia-White_CROP_img.jpg)
Tony Tulathimutte’s Worst-Case Scenarios Tony Tulathimutte’s Worst-Case Scenarios
In Private Citizens, the world is ridiculous enough for truths to stand out among absurdities.
Jun 17, 2016 / Books & the Arts / Larissa Pham
![A Little Life](https://www.thenation.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/A_Little_Life_cc_img.jpg)
A Larger Life A Larger Life
What A Little Life, the churn of narrative nonfiction, and, thus, likely our real views of victims of trauma are missing is the recognition of agency.
Feb 24, 2016 / Larissa Pham