In order to get to Rikers Island, you must cross a bridge that rises steeply, hiding the other side from view. A sign in brightly colored cursive reads: HAVE A NICE TOUR! At the top of a wooden staircase, you present your ID in exchang…

Last week, Yasmina Reza, who lives in Paris, came to New York to promote the American publication of her latest novel, Happy Are the Happy. I met her in the lobby of the Carlyle Hotel. As she pointed out, it looks a lot like a hallway, with doors on …