Our Evenings

A Novel

De: Alan Hollinghurst

Narrado por: Prasanna Puwanarajah

From the internationally acclaimed winner of the Booker Prize, “an engrossing tale of one man’s personal odyssey as he grows up, framed in exquisite language” (The New York Times Book Review, Editors’ Choice)

“The finest novel yet from one of the great writers of our time.”—The Guardian

SHORTLISTED FOR A LAMMY AWARD • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Town & Country, Slate, Good Housekeeping, Financial Times, The Economist, Chicago Public Library, Parade, Publishers Weekly, BookPage, Kirkus Reviews

Did I have a grievance? Most of us, without looking far, could find something that had harmed us, and oppressed us, and unfairly held us back. I tried not to dwell on it, thought it healthier not to, though I’d lived my short life so far in a chaos of privilege and prejudice.

Dave Win, the son of a Burmese man he’s never met and a British dressmaker, is thirteen years old when he gets a scholarship to a top boarding school. With the doors of elite English society cracked open for him, heady new possibilities emerge, even as Dave is exposed to the envy and viciousness of his wealthy classmates.

Alan Hollinghurst’s new novel follows Dave from the 1960s on—through the possibilities that remained open for him, and others that proved to be illusory: as a working-class brown child in a decidedly white institution; a young man discovering queer culture and experiencing his first, formative love affairs; a talented but often overlooked actor, on the road with an experimental theater company; and an older Londoner whose late-in-life marriage fills his days with an unexpected sense of happiness and security.

From “one of our most gifted writers” (The Boston Globe), Our Evenings sweeps readers from our past to our present through the beauty, pain, and joy of one deeply observed life.

Scenes from a Life

There’s no three-act structure to this novel, no hero’s journey, dark night of the soul, climax, and denouement. Instead, it’s a life story, beginning in childhood and moving through college, adulthood, and eventually old age. The protagonist is both a gay man and the only son of a lesbian woman, both English and Burmese, both an actor and an observer. David is a fascinating character and easy to spend time with, as are many of the minor characters who enter and exit the story as people generally do in life.

Moving and Well-Crafted

This is a fine book but moves along more slowly and with less plot excitement than other Hollinghurst novels. Written in the form of a (fictional) memoir, I had to learn to accept it on its own terms, just be patient and let it roll out at its steady pace. At the end, I was deeply moved. One cannot expect justice in this world.

Extraordinarily Beautiful

Another exquisitely crafted story by Alan Hollinghurst. Only a gifted actor could narrate this story, and Prasanna Puwanarajah does so perfectly. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Moving story of love and change.

An amazing story of race, prejudice, and life and love. Took a little time to get into the story but well worth it.

Brilliant and beautiful

A deep and moving story, artfully crafted by a writer at the peak of his powers. Rich, nuanced descriptions pour out of each page. Hollinghurst is like an English Tolstoy - taking the fully realized life of the central character and using it to comment on wider social themes. A masterpiece that was masterfully performed by the narrator. A great work from an author with many great works. I am sad it ended, and look forward to revisiting David and his story in the future.