Narrative Nonfiction Versus Literary Fiction

Narrative nonfiction is hard pressed to compete with concocted tales. Fiction has such built in advantages in its power to imagine inner life and present narratives free of the factual gaps inevitable in true stories. Narrative nonfiction must strive for the literary if it's to have a chance at the audience garnered by important fiction. [The audience for "important fiction" has dwindled as narrative nonfiction has gained in popularity,]

Amand Giridharadas, The New York Times Book Review, September 21, 2014