A review by colourbandit
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Another gorgeous, gorgeous piece of writing from Yanagihara. It took me a while to get into (likely just me not being in the right place for it personally at the time), which is my reasoning for deducting half a star, but I fell in love as I continued reading. 

The three stories were very unique in their styles with some themes very cleverly woven through. It was a real work of art to see how well Yanagihara can write across such a variety of genres and time periods with her personal style shining through all the time. I loved the progression of the setting across the three time periods, and the comparisons of different relationships, societal expectations, politics, culture, and so much more. 

The final story was actually my favourite of all, potentially biased by my love generally for dystopian books, which I’ve read is quite different to most people’s opinion. There was something so special about the voices of the two main characters in this section for me and I absolutely could not put it down. I was moved so much more than expected and grew so attached to every single character. The gradual reveal and exploration of the links between the two timelines in this section was so cleverly done, I really loved it. 

Overall, I wasn’t too sure at first after just how much I loved A Little Life, but putting those preconceptions and expectations aside, this is a beautiful and very moving book in its own right. Really, really special and a wonderful book to end the year for me.