Header Background Image

    432 Results with the "Fiction" genre


    • Chapter

      The Diver

      The Diver Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with a tense domestic scene where the police arrive at G’s house, investigating photographs of her daughter that were flagged by a printer. G’s husband diffuses the situation with charm, convincing the officers it was a misunderstanding—he had merely complained about print quality. His performance shifts the officers from suspicion to acquiescence. However, once they leave, his facade collapses into violent rage. He shouts at G and their daughter, throws objects, and physically…
    • Chapter

      The Spy

      The Spy Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with a group of characters—Julia, Mauro, David, and Betsy—concluding a meal and preparing to leave. Betsy, struggling with mobility, leans on David for support, remarking on his steadiness despite his drinking. Their farewell is tinged with a sense of transience, encapsulated by Betsy’s comment: “If it only happened once, it didn’t happen at all.” The scene shifts to a contemplative observation of the courtyard, where the remnants of the evening—elongated shadows, bare…
    • I. Before the Nap Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with a charged diplomatic lunch between Cortés's conquistadors and Aztec nobility in the palace of Axayacatl, where cultural tensions surface immediately. Captain Jazmín Caldera's visceral disgust at sharing a meal with blood-smeared priests underscores the Spaniards' alienation in this sophisticated yet alien world. Cortés, ever the strategist, tests boundaries by boasting of his Tlaxcalan allies—a gambit that backfires when Princess Atotoxtli extracts the truth from Caldera about…
    • II. Moctezuma’s Nap Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with the ritual precision of Moctezuma’s afternoon nap—an act of imperial discipline that momentarily suspends the entire machinery of the Aztec empire. The silence demanded by his sleep is profound, yet its cessation, marked by the ringing of a silver bell, sends ripples through Tenochtitlan like a stone dropped in water. This carefully orchestrated pause becomes a metaphor for the fragile calm before historical upheaval, as the emperor’s rest coincides with the Spaniards’ uneasy…
    • III After the Nap Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with the cihuacoatl, Tilipotonqui, navigating the chaotic aftermath of political decisions made by Emperor Moctezuma, particularly regarding the arrival of the Caxtilteca (Spanish conquistadors). The empire is beset by crises: venison shortages due to Otomí warriors disrupting hunts, a Texcoca civil war affecting lake trade, and the resurgence of the Quetzalcoatl cult. Beneath these surface issues pulses a deeper tension—Moctezuma’s waning trust in Tilipotonqui and rumors of…
    • Cortés’s Dream Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin This chapter centers on the pivotal encounter between Hernán Cortés and Moctezuma, the Aztec emperor, in the blue throne room of Tenochtitlan. The scene is laden with tension, as Cortés and his men are forced to adhere to strict ceremonial protocols—removing weapons, veiling their faces, and maintaining silence until addressed. Moctezuma, though seemingly hospitable, exudes an air of controlled power, while Cortés struggles between arrogance and nervousness. The cultural divide is stark: Cortés,…
    • Story

      Parade

      Parade Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin Rachel Cusk’s Parade is a sharp meditation on performance, identity, and art. Following a renowned theater director, the novel explores the blurred lines between reality and illusion as she navigates creative ambition and personal disillusionment. With Cusk’s signature precision, Parade questions the roles we play in life.
    • Chapter

      The Stuntman

      The Stuntman Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter opens with the artist G, who begins painting upside down as a radical response to his artistic and existential crisis. Initially, his inverted paintings appear accidental, but their deliberate nature is confirmed by his signature. This innovation earns critical acclaim, reinforcing G’s reputation despite his lingering resentment toward the art world, which had harshly criticized his early work. G’s wife observes that his inversion technique inadvertently mirrors the "female condition"—a…
    • Chapter

      The Midwife

      The Midwife Cover
      by testsuphomeAdmin The chapter delves into the complex life of G, an artist whose early wild years in the city contrast sharply with her later conventional existence as a successful painter, wife, and mother. G’s studio in a gritty neighborhood symbolizes her rebellious past, where she lived in chaotic freedom, disconnected from her disapproving parents. Her art initially served as a raw, unfiltered expression of her inner turmoil, but as she gains recognition, her work evolves into more polished, somber pieces. This shift…
    Note