Contemporary literature

Our Evenings follows Dave Win, a mixed-race boy from a modest family who earns a scholarship to a prestigious public school, where he first crosses paths with Edward, a charming young man from a wealthy, aristocratic background. Their lives become intertwined from adolescence onward. Though Dave later fails to complete his degree at Oxford, he eventually finds fame as an actor, celebrated on stage and screen. His ethnic background subtly shapes his sense of being an outsider, even within London’s vibrant gay circles. Throughout the novel, Dave’s story remains linked to Edward’s: their occasional affairs, shifting power dynamics, and enduring bond drive much of the narrative, revealing how class, race, and sexuality play out over decades of English life.

From the very first page, Our Evenings promises to be a sweeping, intimate portrait of desire and memory, but by the final chapter, the reader is left wondering what, exactly, it was all for. The idea is compelling: to trace the evolution of gay life and love over such a long period, exploring how private passions are shaped by public change. Yet despite this rich backdrop, the novel struggles to deliver the emotional impact it seems to promise. There are beautiful sentences, atmospheric settings, and moments of keen social insight, but ultimately the narrative drifts. The characters, though clearly drawn, remain strangely distant, their inner lives only lightly touched on.

It is disappointing precisely because the premise is so strong. A novel that sets out to capture gay experience across decades should leave us moved or at least reflective. Instead, we close the book with a sense of indifference, as if nothing truly important has happened. In the end, Our Evenings seems like a missed opportunity. Hollinghurst’s writing is as graceful as ever, but style alone cannot carry a story that never quite shows us why these lives and loves should matter.