Our Evenings: Alan Hollinghurst's 'finest' novel yet
A gay, half-Burmese actor looks back on his life in this 'compellingly fresh' book

Alan Hollinghurst's novels tend to appear at "spacious intervals of six or seven years", said Alexandra Harris in The Guardian. His latest – his first since "The Sparsholt Affair" (2017) – is a "compellingly fresh" bildungsroman, narrated by a gay, half-Burmese actor named Dave Win, who is looking back on his life from late middle age.
We first glimpse Win as a 13-year-old, visiting the posh family that has funded his scholarship to a public school in Berkshire. Next, we meet him aged 14 on summer holiday in Devon, mesmerised by the "parade of known and unknown men".
Subsequent episodes recount undergraduate days in Oxford, early "theatrical triumphs" in London, a passionate relationship with another actor named Hector, who "leaves Dave behind", heartbroken. And there's a "tender" portrait of his "intensely private" mother, Avril. Through it all, what stands out is Hollinghurst's "capacity for appreciation": this is a novel that luxuriates in "the inexhaustible particularity" of people. It may be his "finest" yet.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As you'd expect, there are many "brilliantly observed" scenes, said Simon Schama in the Financial Times. No writer is better than Hollinghurst at evoking the "feel of things", and his eye for social comedy is "almost Austenian". Yet ultimately, "Our Evenings" suffers from being not much more than a "sequence of episodes". Over its 500-odd pages, Win's self-portrait becomes "oddly anaemic".
I disagree, said Valentine Cunningham in Literary Review. There is "narrative magic" in Win's recollections. A "wonderful example" of what Hollinghurst has always been good at, this novel also adds a welcome "new note": a moving sense of "time's depredations, and the inevitability of ageing and mortality".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How will the next pope change the Catholic Church?
Talking Points Conclaves can be unpredictable
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Conspiracy theorists circle again following RFK file release
The Explainer Both RFK and his brother, President John F. Kennedy, have been the subjects of conspiracies
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
7 equestrian activities for when you feel like horsin' around
The Week Recommends These graceful animals make any experience better
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Horse around across the globe with these liberating horse-centric activities
The Week Recommends These graceful animals make any experience better
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
7 tranquil hotels worth the (sometimes extreme) trek
The Week Recommends Find serenity off the beaten path
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
G20: Viola Davis stars in 'ludicrous' but fun action thriller
The Week Recommends The award-winning actress plays the 'swashbuckling American president' in this newly released Prime Video film
By The Week UK
-
6 must-see homes in Boston
Feature Featuring a factory-turned-loft in South Boston and a wraparound roof deck in South End
By The Week US
-
Cartier at the V&A: a 'dazzling' show
The Week Recommends A 'once-in-a-lifetime' display of the French jeweller's 'exquisite' objects
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK
-
What is Free Speech?: a 'meticulous' look at the evolution of freedom of expression
The Week Recommends Fara Dabhoiwala provides both history and critique while 'correcting misconceptions'
By The Week UK