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A review by ame_lepage
To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
slow-paced
2.25
This was one of the most painful reading experiences ever.
This book was just so not for me.
I have considerable eco-anxiety, and this book triggered me pretty badly (especially the third book). I was definitely not having a great time, and while I understand that it's important to know what will happen if we don't do anything about climate change, this was just too much for me.
I also think the idea behind this story might have been too ambitious. There was basically no connection between the three books (and if there was, it was never stated explicitly and you were left to figure it out on your own, which in some cases work, but it didn't in this one), which made me wonder what was the point of the book. I also felt like the author was withholding information about the world purposely just for the shock factor, which is not something that works well, in my opinion. I still have too many questions after finishing the book.
I also feel like the author might have taken the open endings too far. We never know how the first and the third book finish, which was so unsatisfying (especially when you stick through a 700 hundred-pages book in the hopes of having some kind of conclusion).
I do have to say the Book 2, Part 2 was great. I even cried at the end and for me, it was the highlight of the book. However, apart from that, it was unfortunately a miss for me.
This book was just so not for me.
I have considerable eco-anxiety, and this book triggered me pretty badly (especially the third book). I was definitely not having a great time, and while I understand that it's important to know what will happen if we don't do anything about climate change, this was just too much for me.
I also think the idea behind this story might have been too ambitious. There was basically no connection between the three books (and if there was, it was never stated explicitly and you were left to figure it out on your own, which in some cases work, but it didn't in this one), which made me wonder what was the point of the book. I also felt like the author was withholding information about the world purposely just for the shock factor, which is not something that works well, in my opinion. I still have too many questions after finishing the book.
I also feel like the author might have taken the open endings too far. We never know how the first and the third book finish, which was so unsatisfying (especially when you stick through a 700 hundred-pages book in the hopes of having some kind of conclusion).
I do have to say the Book 2, Part 2 was great. I even cried at the end and for me, it was the highlight of the book. However, apart from that, it was unfortunately a miss for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Cultural appropriation, Homophobia, and Infertility
Moderate: Rape