Things That Disappear

‘Thing’ is a broad, elusive category for Erpenbeck: a thing may be a kitchen table or a thing may be, say, the ‘Middle of Nowhere’ or 'The Simple Life'. In these essays, things are always and never specific, always cyclical and changing, always returning in new forms.

Criticism 20th March 2026

Gabrielle McClellan

Gabrielle McClellan is a writer and researcher from outside Washington, DC and currently based in London. Her essays, reviews, and fiction have appeared in the Harvard Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, AGNI, and elsewhere. She is also a contributing writer for The Lancet, where she covers reproductive healthcare and global health.