By Nightfall

A Masterful Exploration of Desire, Art, and Identity: A Review of “By Nightfall”
A Masterful Exploration of Desire, Art, and Identity: A Review of “By Nightfall”Michael Cunningham’s *By Nightfall* is a novel of rare subtlety and precision, a work that is both quietly introspective and profoundly resonant. Set against the backdrop of New York City’s art world, the novel explores themes of longing, identity, and the fragile illusions that shape our lives. It is a book that knows exactly what it is and what it wants to say, and it accomplishes this with remarkable elegance and control.The story follows Peter Harris, a successful but somewhat disillusioned art dealer in his forties. He has built a stable life with his wife, Rebecca, but finds himself questioning the meaning of it all when her much younger, magnetic brother, Ethan—nicknamed Mizzy (short for “The Mistake”)—comes to stay with them. Mizzy is a beautiful, aimless young man, the type who seems to drift through life effortlessly, yet with a mysterious gravity that draws others toward him. For Peter, Mizzy’s presence awakens something dormant—an unsettling mix of admiration, nostalgia, and undeniable desire.Cunningham’s portrayal of Peter’s internal struggle is masterful. His prose is lyrical without being overwrought, his observations sharp yet never cruel. This is a novel that treats its characters with a gentle hand, allowing them to reveal themselves slowly, in moments of quiet revelation rather than grand gestures. Peter’s attraction to Mizzy is not just about sexuality; it is about youth, about the haunting possibility of a different life, about the ache of knowing that time has already passed him by in ways he cannot reclaim. The novel does not sensationalize Peter’s emotions, nor does it moralize them—it simply presents them as they are, with honesty and grace.At the same time, *By Nightfall* is a sharp, knowing portrait of the art world—its pretensions, its fleeting obsessions, its paradoxical blend of deep sincerity and shallow commercialism. Peter’s career in the art market is one of careful curation, of seeking out meaning in objects that are often valued more for their price tags than their artistic merit. Through his eyes, we see a world where beauty and authenticity are constantly in question, where the difference between genius and fraud is often just a matter of perception.Cunningham is particularly adept at capturing the nuances of human relationships—the tiny shifts in tone, the barely perceptible moments of betrayal or realization that shape the way people interact. Rebecca, too, is a fascinating character, not merely the passive wife but a woman with her own complexities and regrets. The marriage between Peter and Rebecca feels lived-in, full of affection and history, yet also burdened by the slow erosion of passion and spontaneity.What makes *By Nightfall* so compelling is its restraint. Cunningham does not spell things out or force dramatic conclusions; instead, he allows the story to unfold naturally, in the way life does—messy, unresolved, but deeply felt. The novel does not scream its themes; it whispers them, making its impact all the more powerful.In *By Nightfall*, Michael Cunningham has crafted a novel that is deeply insightful, achingly human, and profoundly moving. It is a meditation on beauty, desire, and the fleeting nature of both. With a deft, confident touch, Cunningham reminds us that life’s most profound truths often exist in the spaces between words, in the silences we are too afraid to fill.

Non-diehard fans of Cunningham may be a bit disappointed.
Peter Harris is in a midlife funk. His career as a NYC art gallery owner, as well as his personal life, seems to be on a downswing. His wife, Rebecca, is preoccupied with an impending buyout of her arts and culture magazine, and his emotionally-distant daughter unexpectedly dropped out from college to become a bartender. When Rebecca’s manipulative younger brother, Mizzy, comes to visit, Peter finds himself inexplicably drawn to the college dropout/slacker/druggie, with results that turn all of their lives upside down.I read and enjoyed two of Cunningham’s previous works, “A Home At The End of the World,” and “Flesh and Blood.” In those, as in this new novel, he doesn’t just present characters in a story. The characters are meshed in a collage of conflicting emotions, while the plot is a tapestry of vivid sights, sounds and ideas that frame the action in a way that makes it understated yet more powerful. Unfortunately, I think the presentation overcomes the characters (not particular strong or relatable in any way) and the story (far from compelling or particularly interesting). The book is still well-written overall, and the author’s diehard fans will likely be satisfied. I give it three stars out of five.

Uno de los mejores libros de Cunningham, que alcanza aquí un exitoso balance entre lirismo introspectivo y “novela de costumbres”.Excelente.

As other reviewers have said, this isn’t a “big” book. It centres round the relationships between three people, and the consequences of a moment of sexual ambiguity. Themes of beauty, using others and being used by others, deception and betrayal are played out on a small canvas.What makes the book special is, first, the quality of Cunningham’s observation. He has an intensity of perception that makes even the most minor detail come alive with significance. He understands the untidiness of life and relationships, and how things can evolve from moment to moment, and he draws us in to the tension between the uniqueness of individuals and their ordinariness.The other thing that makes the book rewarding is the quality of his writing; the power to observe is useless unless a writer can make us share what he perceives. Of that, Cunningham is a master, as he has shown in every one of his books. His language is simple, even plain, but his sentences are constructed with a skill and care that makes that simplicity shine with beauty, and serve as a vehicle for the most complex of insights. He must surely be one of the finest authors working today.Highly recomended.