Book summary

This biography of Richard Yates emphasizes his dysfunctional childhood, subsequent alcoholism, and lifelong ill-health, but it also appreciates his work for its unflinching honesty and sharp observations of middle-class American life.

Media reviews

"[T]he arrival of Blake Bailey's great, perceptive, heartbreaking Yates biography is a landmark event. At this late date (Yates died in 1992), it is a terrifically moving one as well. A TRAGIC HONESTY, marred only by its drab title, is wrenching not just for the sheer Sisyphean torment of Yates's experience but also for the miracle of his artistic tenacity in the face of unimaginable odds....Mr. Bailey chooses a warts-and-more-warts version. He justifies his approach with astute and admiring criticism of Yates's accomplishments, not to mention the validation of everyone Yates knew....By balking at [nothing], Mr. Bailey winds up underscoring the sheer victory of Yates's determination to write, no matter what."