TO PARADISE: A Journey Maybe Best Not Taken

My head is still spinning from Hanya Yanagihara's latest book, "To Paradise." There was a lot going on, so let me try to break it down.

Part I of the novel presents an alternative 1893 America, where New York is part of the "Free States," allowing people to live and love freely. The reader follows David Bingham, a young heir from an esteemed family, who is destined for an arranged marriage. However, he is alternatively drawn to Edward Bishop, a mysterious music teacher from a lower social class. Bingham must choose whether to live by his family’s expectations or whether to follow his heart.

In Part II, the story shifts to 1993 Manhattan during the AIDS epidemic, introducing another David Bingham (confusing, right?), who works as a paralegal at a law firm and develops feelings for a senior partner.

In Part III, we are transported to the year 2093, where a dystopian future is plagued by diseases and under totalitarian rule. The narrative follows the granddaughter of a powerful scientist as she seeks to unravel the mystery behind her husband's frequent disappearances.

Each part could have been its own story, and while Hanya Yanagihara attempts to weave them together through common themes. Of what? I’m not entirely sure. I was really disappointed in this read. Yanagihara’s “A Little Life” is highly acclaimed, and while that remains on my "to be read" list, I thought I would pick up this one first since it is more recent.

The stories were a bit weird to begin with, and it took me a little time to figure out the rules that make up the “worlds” in which they take place. And, while I did end up making it through the book and finding moments of each story to be engaging, overall, I would not recommend picking up this book.