Alan Hollinghurst Britains top wordsmith‚ hasnt got the recognition he deserves in America. Its puzzling given how good his writing is. He should be as popular as other British authors like Zadie Smith and Ian McEwan but he isnt. Some people think its because of the gay sex scenes in his books.
Hollinghursts early books from the late 80s (like “The Swimming-Pool Library“) were pretty out-there. Even 20 years back when “The Line of Beauty“ won a big prize‚ reviewers felt they had to warn readers about the sexy bits. But things have changed right? Weʼve got lots of LGBTQ+ authors doing well now‚ and Miranda Julys spicy book “All Fours“ is selling like hot cakes. So maybe its time for Americans to give Hollinghurst a shot.
Whats cool is that Hollinghurst (whos about 70 now) has toned down the steamy stuff in his new book “Our Evenings“. Its more about growing up and finding your way in the world. The main character Dave Win‚ is an actor whos kinda famous but not super-famous. He grew up in a small English village with his white mom who made dresses. His dad was from Burma‚ but they dont talk about him much.
Dave gets lucky and wins a scholarship to a fancy school. A rich couple the Hadlows‚ take an interest in him. But their son Giles‚ is a real jerk who bullies Dave at school and at their house. Nobody says anything about it though cause theyre all too polite.
Hollinghurst is really good at showing how Giles turns into a nasty right-wing politician over the years. But the book isnt really about politics its more about Dave figuring out who he is. He has to deal with being poor‚ gay‚ and mixed-race in a world thats not always nice to people like him.
The book is full of great scenes like when Dave comes out to his mom and her partner Esme. Its not a big dramatic thing‚ which is kinda nice. Hollinghurst is also really funny especially when he writes about Dave meeting Giles snobby French grandma.
The pretense that they were just two middle-aged friends‚ a widow and a divorcee living together for company and convenience‚ was kept up at first so effectively that I had started to wonder if it was true
Some people compare Hollinghurst to Henry James‚ but thats not quite right. Hollinghurst is easier to read and way funnier. Hes really good at showing exactly what Dave is thinking and feeling all the way from when hes a kid to when hes in his 70s.
“Our Evenings“ is a great book that shows how good Hollinghurst is at writing. Its elegant‚ easy to read and really gets inside the main characters head. If youve never read Hollinghurst before this might be a good place to start
• The book follows Dave Win from childhood to his 70s
• It explores themes of identity‚ privilege and social change
• Hollinghurstʼs writing is elegant and often funny
• The novel touches on political issues but focuses more on personal growth