From the author of the classic A Little Life comes a bold novel that spans three centuries and explores different versions of the American experience through themes of love, family, loss, and the elusive promise of utopia. In an alternate 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where individuals can love freely. Here, a young heir resists an arranged marriage, drawn instead to a charming but impoverished music teacher. Fast forward to 1993 Manhattan, where a young Hawaiian man navigates life with his wealthy, older partner while concealing a troubled past and the fate of his father amid the AIDS crisis. In 2093, a world ravaged by plagues and totalitarianism sees a powerful scientist’s granddaughter grappling with her grandfather's absence and the mystery of her husband's disappearances. These interconnected narratives weave an intricate tapestry of recurring motifs: a townhouse in Greenwich Village, the cost of illness, the divide between wealth and poverty, and the complexities of race and family. Ultimately, the novel delves into the human experience, exploring fear, love, shame, and the longing for an earthly paradise, while confronting the painful reality that such a paradise may never exist. This emotionally charged work showcases the profound desire to protect loved ones and the heartache that arises when we cannot.
