Books by Hanya Yanagihara
Hanya Yanagihara’s critically-acclaimed, bestselling novel A Little Life—ranked 96th on the Guardians list of 100 best books of the 21st century—portrays a group of friends who have been broken and bonded by the tragedy of their friend Jude’s death.
When the novel opens, we meet JB, Malcolm, Willem, and Jude, four young me who—having met in college—are now living in New York trying to start their careers. As the story continues, it shifts its focus to the enigmatic Jude. The reader is met with harrowing, graphic descriptions of what Jude suffered as a child in the form of flashbacks interspersed throughout the novel, and he must reckon with the long term consequences of this trauma. A Little Life is a gut-wrenching read which not only explores the nature of tragedy but also that of love and friendship—making it the perfect read for a lover of The Secret History.
From our article Books like The Secret History
“Yanagihara’s new book is set in an alternate world, in which the American Civil War has produced a continent of rival territories—a Disunited States. It’s divided into three parts, each a hundred years apart and the final installment taking place in a dystopic 2093 as pandemics sweep the world. Characters appear and reappear in different guises, changing ethnicity and gender. It’s a novel of huge ambition, and one likely to arouse huge feeling and critical discussion; whatever your feelings about A Little Life, To Paradise is the novel everyone will be talking about in spring 2022.” Read more...
Cal Flyn, Five Books Editor
Interviews where books by Hanya Yanagihara were recommended
Notable Novels of Spring 2022, recommended by Cal Flyn
If you’re nervous of what 2022 has in store for us, you’re not alone. But at least there will be plenty of excellent new books to read. Here, Five Books deputy editor Cal Flyn offers a round-up of the notable novels of spring 2022, including exciting new work from Sheila Heti, Ali Smith and Marlon James.
