In the tradition of E. M. Forster'sAspects of the Noveland Milan Kundera'sThe Art of the Novel,How Fiction Worksis a scintillating and searching study of the main elements of fiction, such as narrative, detail, characterization, dialogue, realism, and style. In his first full-length book of criticism, one of the most prominent critics of our time takes the machinery of story-telling apart to ask a series of fundamental questions: What do we mean when we say we 'know' a fictional character? What constitutes a 'telling' detail? When is a metaphor successful? Is realism realistic? Why do most endings of novels disappoint?

Wood ranges widely, from Homer to Beatrix Potter, from the Bible to John Le Carré, and his book is both a study of the techniques of fiction-making and an alternative history of the novel. Playful and profound, it incisively sums up two decades of bold, often controversial, and now classic critical work, and will be enlightening to writers, readers, and anyone interested in what happens on the page.

James Woodhas been a staff writer at theNew Yorkersince 2007. In 2009, he won the National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism. He was the chief literary critic at theGuardianfrom 1992 to 1995, and a book critic at theNew Republicfrom 1995 to 2007. He has published a number of books with Cape, includingHow Fiction Works, which has been translated into thirteen languages.