Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. In the initial draft of this part of the show,

I started by going on and on about how I felt about Hanya Naniyani Yon Hara's last book, A Little Life.

Remember how big it was when it came out? In certain circles, you saw folks carry that

tome around, and it was this cultural signifier,

you know, like, this is the book to read now. But then I thought, how crummy must it be to come

out with your follow-up book and know that it's going to be framed in the shadow of its sibling?

Yonagihara talks a bit about that in this interview with NPR Scott Simon about her new novel

To Paradise, which is about,

well, a lot of things. But she tells Scott that above all, this is the book she needed to write now.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts,

diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show,

Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the

NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Anja Yanagahara's huge new novel, winds through three epics across 200 years and into an alternative world.

The free states of America, senator New York of the 1890s, same-sex love and marriage are

the norm, but black citizens are not permitted.

A century later, a descendant of the last monarch of Hawaii lives in the same neighborhood,

Greenwich Village.

Ezei ravages a generation while his heritage is endangered.

And in 2003, pandemics and storms push the area, now known as Zone 8, into an authoritarian society, locking up millions for society's protection.

To Paradise is one of the most highly anticipated novels of 2022.

...