New Fiction by Esther Freud—Percival Everett’s Deadly Serious Comedy—Michael Azerrad’s Essay on Kurt Cobain

Plus: The New Yorker Festival returns, and Haruki Murakami’s T-shirt collection. View in browser | Update your preferences Fiction “Desire” “I wanted to cry, too. Will you miss us? Will you come home? Will it just be me now?” By Esther Freud This Week in Fiction Esther Freud on Girls’ Vulnerability The author discusses her story from the latest issue of the magazine. By Cressida Leyshon Fiction “The Ways” If you liked “Desire,” we think you’ll enjoy this story, from 2014. By Colin Barrett Essays & Criticism A Critic at Large Percival Everett’s Deadly Serious Comedy The novelist has regularly exploded our models of genre and identity. In “The Trees,” he’s raising the stakes, confronting America’s legacy of lynching in a mystery at once hilarious and horrifying. By Julian Lucas Personal History My Time with Kurt Cobain Befriending a rock star isn’t necessarily as cool as you’d think—particularly when tragedy happens. By Michael Azerrad Under Review Sid Meier and the Meaning of “Civilization” Meier’s new memoir provides a whistle-stop tour of the video-game industry as it evolved across the designer’s four-decade career. By Neima Jahromi More from The New Yorker Showcase An Accidental Collection How I amassed more T-shirts than I can store. By Haruki Murakami The New Yorker Festival The New Yorker Festival Returns in October, in Person and Online All tickets, including to virtual events, are now on sale. By The New Yorker You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for Books & Fiction from The New Yorker. Was this e-mail forwarded to you? Sign up. Unsubscribe | Manage your e-mail preferences | Send newsletter feedback | View our Privacy Policy Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.