A review by abroadwell
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
4.0
It's hard to pull together all the parts of this book in my memory, since it is so long and has so many parts.
But the last section, with Charlie [granddaughter of Charles Griffith, the scientist] escaping from a tyrannical America sticks in my mind very clearly.
Some over-arching themes that made an impression on me --
* The way that gay men are variably accepted, tolerated, or rejected according to the political winds of the time. So that a highly respected gay scientist can see toleration definitely coming to an end and the return of a miserable closeted existence for his elder years.
* Health emergencies as a justification for the imposition of state control. A very clear reference to COVID, but a provocative reminder of the way in which all kinds of health, terrorist, and climate emergencies can result in the loss of liberty of speech, movement, and association.
But the last section, with Charlie [granddaughter of Charles Griffith, the scientist] escaping from a tyrannical America sticks in my mind very clearly.
Some over-arching themes that made an impression on me --
* The way that gay men are variably accepted, tolerated, or rejected according to the political winds of the time. So that a highly respected gay scientist can see toleration definitely coming to an end and the return of a miserable closeted existence for his elder years.
* Health emergencies as a justification for the imposition of state control. A very clear reference to COVID, but a provocative reminder of the way in which all kinds of health, terrorist, and climate emergencies can result in the loss of liberty of speech, movement, and association.