Hanya YanagiharaThe epic novel of a new author “To Paradise” (Doubleday, 720 pp., ★★★★ out of four, out Tuesday), is a re-imagination of New York City in 1893 and 1993, and a forecast of 2093, presented uniquely in three books with three different plot lines. Yanagihara (“A Little Life”) cleverly presents characters with the same names who appear in different roles in each book: There are multiple David Binghams and Charles Griffiths, and Adams is always a butler.
“Book I: Washington Square”Yanagihara refers to the War of Rebellion as the Civil War. The book was published in New York City in 1893. This portion of the book is reminiscent of Henry James’ and Edith Wharton in language and setting, and incorporates period artifacts, including the newly constructed Brooklyn Bridge, Washington Square Park and hansoms, which glide across the avenues of Manhattan.
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Many of the characters are gay and divided into socioeconomic classes. The most well-respected bank in New York is run by Nathaniel Bingham, his grandfather. His grandchildren, including David Bingham, the youngest, were born to the same high-class family. Adams, their butler, is a member of the proletariat. David also adores Edward Bishop, a homeless musician. David is urged by Grandfather Bingham to marry in his class. “I have had an offer of marriage for you … A good family – the Griffiths, of Nantucket. How old is the gentleman? One-and-forty.”David could choose to please his grandfather and marry Charles. Or he might listen to his heart, and follow Edward west.
“Book II: Lipo-Wao-Nahele,”The 1993 film was set in New York and features another David Bingham. This paralegal has Hawaiian royal blood. Charles Griffith, an older lawyer, lives with David. There is a plague ripping through the city – AIDS, although it is never named. Yanagihara uses the death of Peter, Charles’s ex-boyfriend, whose “wrists grown so bony that he had traded his metal watch for a child’s plastic one”Set the mood for the Saturnine Book
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Yanagihara’s storytelling talents shine in the dystopia. “Part III: Zone Eight,” which opens in 2093 near Washington Square Park. Several pandemics have spread through New York, and the city is divided into zones: Washington Square Park is located in Zone 8, Harlem falls in Zone 11 and Times Square is situated in Zone 9. New Yorkers are under the control of a totalitarian government. There is no TV, no internet, and no movies. One can’t spend an evening debating an article or a novel, because none of those things i possible any longer.
Yanagihara creates a cloistered society in which human suffering, even the killing of infants, is a daily occurrence. Charlie, a lab technician, alternates with her scientist grandfather Dr. Charles Griffith. “one of the architects of the camps”Where the sick die. American scientists have reported findings to China about diseases that are created in laboratories. People eat horse meat, broiled raccoon and bears are free to roam.
“To Paradise”It is a novel of the very highest order. Yanagihara’s writing is elegant, conveying emotion and creating believable characters that move the plot. Yanagihara’s keen eye for detail is evident in all three settings. She places the reader in each time period through multiple narratives that she orchestrates with great precision. Book I and II are filled with themes about love and belonging. Book III shows that fear outweighs love in order to create a reality that is close to our hearts.
