ELENA FERRANTE—My predecessor, Alison Hallett, and Perfect Day Publishing's Michael Heald tried to explain why Elena Ferrante is such a literary sensation on the occasion of her new book, the final Neapolitan Novel, The Story of the Lost Child. They couldn't come up with a singular explanation—it perhaps cannot be done!—but their conversation is fascinating just the same.

LITTLE GEM—Last February, Corrib Theatre's Little Gem, about a year in the lives of three generations of working-class Irish women, was performed in a bar. Now, it gets the stage it deserves (it's very good) at CoHo Theatre. The play's run is very short. Here's why you should go see it.

LAUREN GROFF—I'm not one for relationship novels. Neither is Katie Pelletier. But this week, she makes an exception for Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies, a glimpse into a marriage that, unlike most tales of longterm commitment, packs real suspense. Groff reads at Powell's tonight.