Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li

In July, we will be discussing the book, Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li.

The book is a quietly devastating, deeply philosophical memoir written from an abysmal place of loss, nested within a rigorous exploration of language, memory, and the limits of human grief.

Refusing conventional narratives of healing or closure, this work is both an intimate tribute to two lost lives and an incisive, steely look at what it means to survive the unimaginable.

🏆 Accolades:

• Winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Memoir or Autobiography
• Winner of the 2026 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction
• Finalist for the 2025 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

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The Story

“There is no good way to say this,” Yiyun Li writes at the very opening of the book. “There is no good way to state these facts, which must be acknowledged. My husband and I had two children and lost them both: Vincent in 2017, at 16, James in 2024, at 19. Both chose suicide, and both died not far from home.”

Following her previous book Where Reasons End—which imagined a dialogue with her eldest son, Vincent—Things in Nature Merely Grow focuses deeply on navigating life after the death of her youngest son, James. Where Vincent was verbal and flamboyant, James was a brilliant, autistic prodigy who spoke at least eight languages, read Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language, and preferred silence.

To write about James, Li notes that she has to "learn a new alphabet." She masterfully distinguishes between the two losses: Vincent died from feelings, an acutely sensitive soul for whom life did not prove livable; James died from thinking, concluding through deep philosophical reflection that a livable life was simply not worth the trouble.

Rather than seeking a redemptive arc, Li chronicles the daily, concrete routines that anchor her to the world—cooking, gardening, learning the piano, and reading the dense texts her sons loved, from Albert Camus to Ludwig Wittgenstein. She fiercely critiques the public and media reactions to her tragedy, choosing a path of absolute, radical acceptance. Like nature, wounds are not neatly sutured, and things merely grow.

“The verb that does not die is 'to be'. Vincent was and is and will always be Vincent. James was and is and will always be James. We were and are and will always be their parents. There is no now and then, now and later, only, now and now and now and now."

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“A memoir unlike others, strange and profound and fiercely determined not to look away."
―The New York Times

“To be in Li's head is a rare privilege--she is a writer of elegance and clarity and is a deeply interesting thinker. And the book, surprisingly, is not sad. It is moving and even funny in places as she writes about her wonderful friends, a few awful strangers, but most of all, her extraordinary sons. You may find yourself transformed after reading it. I did."
―Barrie Hardymon, NPR

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📆Event Details

• Date & Time: Sunday, July 12th, 3:00 PM
• Venue: Las Palmas rooftop bar
• Note: Please support the venue by ordering at least one drink.

📚Club Guidelines

• Discussion: Please review the discussion questions before joining! You can find them via the link below.
  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NKVL1HZbPKNKc5BQE-HUcbiCtPqIkCu3N4csKreh5DU/edit?usp=sharing
• Next Month's Pick: Following the discussion, our next book will be chosen by group poll—come prepared to champion your pick. Each month, we explore a different genre; for August, please bring at least one fiction recommendation. If your suggestion wins the vote, your book takes center stage! Even if not, you’ll get to explore beyond your reading comfort zone.

❓FAQ

• 1)"Do I have to finish reading the book to join the event?"
  YES. We’re here to discuss the book! To ensure a rich and meaningful conversation for everyone, all participants are expected to read the book in full before attending.
• 2)"Can I just listen and not join the discussion?"
  NO. We gather in person to share ideas. Your voice matters! Whether you agree, disagree, or interpret things differently, every perspective helps deepen our understanding of the book. There’s no right or wrong answer, and every opinion is equally cherished.

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Feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions.
See you in July, bookflies🦋!