Who Would Like This Book:
If you love immersive, literary fiction that bends reality and explores big "what-if" questions, To Paradise delivers in spades. The novel spans three centuries, using alternative histories and dystopian futures to tackle themes like identity, belonging, love, and societal norms - especially through LGBTQ+ perspectives. Yanagihara’s prose is lush, and her world-building is deeply imaginative. Fans of sweeping narratives, speculative fiction, and complex characters will find a lot to ponder (and feel) here, especially if you enjoy books that leave room for ambiguity and interpretation.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Impatient readers, beware: the book is a hefty 700+ pages and takes its time. Some found the pacing excruciatingly slow and the prose overly elaborate (think: a paragraph where a sentence might do). The interlinked but only loosely connected stories can feel repetitive or confusing, and the ambiguity between sections may frustrate those who want clear answers or cohesive plotting. If you’re not a fan of unresolved endings, heavy backstory, or a melancholy, sometimes bleak, atmosphere, this may test your patience.
About:
'To Paradise' by Hanya Yanagihara is a complex and multigenerational novel that spans different time periods and explores themes of family, relationships, and societal norms. The book weaves together three interconnected stories set in the past, present, and future, exploring the lives of characters across centuries and parallel worlds. The writing style is described as beautifully written, with detailed character descriptions and a lyrical prose that captivates readers from the very beginning.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for this book are high due to themes such as mental illness, emotional distress, depictions of pandemics and societal collapse.
Has Romance?
There is a medium level of romance present in the narratives, interwoven within the character arcs, particularly concerning the exploration of gay relationships.
From The Publisher:
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From the award-winning, best-selling author of the classic A Little Life—a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.
To Paradise is a fin de siècle novel of marvelous literary effect, but above all it is a work of emotional genius. The great power of this remarkable novel is driven by Yanagihara’s understanding of the aching desire to protect those we love—partners, lovers, children, friends, family, and even our fellow citizens—and the pain that ensues when we cannot.
In an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love whomever they please (or so it seems). The fragile young scion of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a charming music teacher of no means.
In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father. And in 2093, in a world riven by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist’s damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him—and solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearances.
These three sections comprise an ingenious symphony, as recurring notes and themes deepen and enrich one another: A townhouse in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village; illness, and treatments that come at a terrible cost; wealth and squalor; the weak and the strong; race; the definition of family, and of nationhood; the dangerous righteousness of the powerful, and of revolutionaries; the longing to find a place in an earthly paradise, and the gradual realization that it can’t exist.
What unites not just the characters, but these Americas, are their reckonings with the qualities that make us human: Fear. Love. Shame. Need. Loneliness.
Ratings (9)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (4) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (1) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (48):
Read It (10) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (33) | |
Did Not Finish (1) | |
Not Interested (3) |
2 comment(s)
This was actually a DNF for me. I really tried! Got further than the target 10% I set myself. The first part I enjoyed, hearing David’s story in a different version of the America was great, but then it ended. Was Edward lying and using him? Did they manage to disguise the relationship? Then part two started. Jump forward to the 80s. Similar names but not connected to the first part? I spent half the time trying to work out how they were connected. I generally found this David’s story boring and not interesting. Then it moved to his father’s story, couldn’t get into it either. Not carrying on a book I’m not enjoying.
I was both excited and wary of going into this chunker, I've tried Hanya Yanagihara's book "A little life" multiple times but haven't gotten the same affect as most people seems to. It was interesting in how much the two books differed from each other and "To Paradise" is definitely it's own story. I usually don't tend to enjoy books with different timelines but Hanya did it great in this one. The book was set up in 3 different time periods and did not jump from one to another. It was an very emersive experience and there where no part that wasn't a good read. Definitely recommend this even if "A little life" wasn't for you
What can you read after
To Paradise?
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