Things in Nature Merely Grow
Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li is one of 2026's most credible books, appearing on 1 of the year's most respected lists, including The Guardian, for a Consensus Score of 16 out of 100.
Appears on these lists
Our take
AI-draftedLi's memoir addresses the deaths of both her sons by suicide, seven years apart, and does so with a deliberate refusal of the consolations grief writing usually offers. Critics have described the book as demanding rather than comforting — precise, almost austere in its reasoning, more interested in accurately describing an unbearable situation than in guiding the reader toward healing.
In the press
“A disturbing, inconsolable tribute, a memoir unlike others, strange and profound”
Daphne Merkin, The New York Times Book Review“A principled and forbidding project, an edifice to reason built on a foundation of sorrow”
Dan Piepenbring, Harper's
How the Consensus Score is calculated
Our Consensus Score is our own transparent editorial metric — not a user rating. It weighs each list by the credibility of its source, how recent the listing is, and any award status. Here is the full breakdown.
| Source | Authority | Recency | Award | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Guardian | 0.85 | 0.85 | 1.00× | 0.72 |
| Weighted sum → Score | 0.72 → 16 | |||
Similar consensus books
Because they appear on some of the same lists.
Frequently asked
What lists is Things in Nature Merely Grow on?
Things in Nature Merely Grow appears on 1 list in our 2026 corpus, including The Guardian.
What is its Consensus Score?
Things in Nature Merely Grow has a Consensus Score of 16 out of 100, our transparent editorial measure of how many credible lists agree on it.