To Paradise

A Novel

By: Hanya Yanagihara

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Catherine Ho, BD Wong, Feodor Chin, Kurt Kanazawa

#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.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: VOGUE • ESQUIRE • NPR • GOODREADS

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.

Boring

Without giving away anything, the characters exist in an alternate reality where where people have the freedom to love who they want, yet for literally no reason the book is riddled in so much unnecessary racism. Like sprinkled in for no reason it’s a bit odd. Part 2 is beyond boring, couldn’t even finish it.

A new literary classic

I absolutely loved this book, this is my introduction to Yanagihara’s work and it does not disappoint. It was complex and immersive; one of those stories that you continue to think about for years. Some of the most thought provoking work I’ve had in a while. Now on to her other works…

She has to be one of the most layered and thought provoking authors of today. Another beautiful novel.

This novel is for those that love to dig deep into the human mind, heart and soul. It isn’t always an easy read or one that leaves you smiling and fulfilled… she delves into the thought provoking at its best and worst of the human. I feel affected for weeks and months after and ponder in connection with my own life. I recommend this to those that want to understand more and that most often lives within the hard and ugly of our very selves.

Brilliant writing that respects the reader

Aside from the sweeping narrative across so many generations, the thing that I love about this book so much is that it truly respects the reader. By that I mean Yanagihara doesn’t spoonfeed the reader every detail, but expects the reader to pay attention and fill in the gaps with the information provided. The first person accounts Are narrated by a brilliant slate of narrators. Just wonderful all the way through.

A most beautiful read!

Loved it! Great stories, and relatable. Narration was good and performed at a steady pace. Reminded me of the 2012 film "Cloud Atlas" by the Wachowskis.