Our Evenings

A Novel

By: Alan Hollinghurst

Narrated by: 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)

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

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 listeners from our past to our present through the beauty, pain, and joy of one deeply observed life.

©2024 Alan Hollinghurst (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Our Evenings is that rare bird: a muscular work of ideas and an engrossing tale of one man’s personal odyssey as he grows up, framed in exquisite language.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A novel about acceptance: of time’s passage, of life’s limitations, of the small victories that make existence meaningful.”—The Guardian

“It’s time for American readers to know the genius of Alan Hollinghurst . . . Britain’s finest prose stylist. . . . Extraordinary . . . gorgeous.”—The Washington Post

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.

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.

Exquisite recount of the life experience of a fictional mix-race actor during the worst racism in England

The author allows us to explore the inner thoughts and feelings of the main character as he experienced racism as a teenager in public school and throughout his life in England. Holling hurst always surprises me in his choice of titles, and this was not the exception. When I first hear the title in an early chapter, I thought, is this it? but no, our evenings is a constant theme, which injects melancholy to the story. there are two surprises towards the end, which leave me with one unanswered question. That’s the beauty of it!

The writing, the pace.

I liked everything about this book. Alan Hollinghurst is a splendid writer and I was happy to see that he had a new book out. This one did not disappoint!

Great Narration

Story of a life, from start to finish. So glad for the narrator! An unpleasant voice makes a book unlistenable.

Brilliant novel beautifully read

The reading of this work added so much to what is on its own a poignant story of love and loss.

A beautifully written novel

This is a story of a gay man of color forging his way through the fifties and sixties up through present time. it has the feel of a memoir but it is fictional. Though the story is about David and his life, it’s also a story about the changing culture and by the end of the novel you are struck but how little we humans have changed though we continue to think of ourselves as enlightened. if you are gay and dark, you are defined by your race and sexuality even when it’s such a small part of who you are. If you are looking for a story with lots of conflict, you won’t find it here. it’s just a beautiful story about a man who had the courage to be who he is despite the intolerance of those around him. I loved it.

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.

Sublime Collaboration

I adored listening to to Prassana’s reading Hollinghurst’s exquisitely crafted novel. The choice of actor Prasanna Puwanarajah as narrator is brilliant. Talk about Yeats’ “How can we know the dancer from the dance”. Here we have a collaboration of voice and story that seamlessly pulls together the crafted word and considered voice.