To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

Synopsis
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.

Review
To Paradise has to be one of the most anticipated novel of 2022, and one I have been looking forward to for over six months. Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life is one of the best books I have ever read, and in my opinion she should have won the 2015 Booker Prize, so To Paradise had a lot to live up to;and it did in every way. Set over three hundred years in a very different New York than we know, this is a powerful and at times frightening read that is very revelant to our world today.

To Paradise has three very different stories that are all linked by family lineage and place, a house in Washington Square New York. New York in 1893 is an alterate New York, part of a number of states that have joined together to make ‘Free States’, with their own laws where same sex realtions are legal and all children are educated.The Bingham family are one of the founnding families of this Free State, and have many charitable institutions to help those less fortunate. But just what is free? David Bingham lives with his grandfather in Washington Square, when he is introduced to Charles Griffith, a widower whom his grandfather is hoping he will marry. However, David is in love with someone else, someone his family wouldn’t approve of and someone he is not free to marry. This opens the idea of freedom, he isn’t free to make his own choices and be part of his heritage.

In 1993, we meet David and Charles’s descendents, both living in Washington Square. In 1993 the Aids Epidemic is at a high, with many of Charles’s friends having the disease. David is much younger than Charles and keeps his heritage a secret. His father is a Bingham and a descendant of Hawaian Royalty. Throught a letter we learn of the difficult life of David’s father, in a Hawaii that has been colonised by the American’s wiping out their identity. As in 1893, David and his father struggle with their identity, their place in the world and in their family.

2093, and we have the first female narrator, who is a Griffith. I think this is the most frightening story and takes up half the book. We are not given the name of the narrartor, which at first infuriated me, but as I read on I understood the reason behind this; she represents many of citizens. The endearing part of this story is the young woman’s relationship with her grandfather, who tries to protect her from the worst this world has to offer. This is a New York where people live in fear of illness and try to pre-empt the next pandemic, where food and water are rationed under Totatilitarian rule. Via correspondance between the grandfather, Charles Griffith and a friend Hanya Yanighara explores how the world came to this shocking place.

Hanya Yanagihara’s writing is simply sublime, drawing you into these stories that elicit emotions you never knew you had. Her characters are so well drawn, with a verisimilitude that makes you feel you know them and you are part of their lives. This is a multi layered read that is very relevant to the world we live in at the moment, and the future that we could face. What I really got from this book was that no matter who you are, how much money you have, what your status is, you are never truely free, that we are defined by who we are and by our past and our place in the world. It was the final part of the story that shocked me with Hanya Yanigara holding a mirror up to what could be our future, where we live with the consequences of climate change and the constant fear of becoming unwell.

Interstingly I was asked what my favourite story was of the three. I thought it would be the first part set in 1893, but surprisingly, even to me, it was the final part. The relatonship between Granfather and Granddaughter was simply beautiful. It had an innocence to it, a bond that could never be broken, and even in a world of fear and illness, where the government rules, that innocence remained. I was shocked at the intensisty of this story, the forboding that took over, but it really made me think hard about the world we live in.

To say I loved To Paradise is a huge understatement. There was a lot to live up to with A Little Life being one of my favourite books ever, and it was just as powerful as I had expected. I have no doubt that we will be talking about this book a lot this year and I am sure it will win many awards, and be another huge success. Masterful story telling with a breathtaking vision make this a masterpiece; Absolutley amazing!!

I would like to thank Kate Green at Picador books for my copy of this stunning book in return for my honest review.