“My husband and I had two children and lost them both,” writes Yiyun Li early in her latest book, Things in Nature Merely Grow. And then, with harrowing directness, “Both chose suicide”.

Such loss might seem at odds with the title of growth, but as she explains in her deeply thoughtful, rigorous account of a family tragedy, it reflects insights developed through the practice of gardening. “Things in nature merely grow until it’s time for them to die” – and gardeners must learn to develop patience, flexibility and openness to what may come.

Such capacities are very useful for writers, and Li is a prolific author who brings to her writing a forensic, incisive perspective, along with a marvellous deployment of language and tone.

Born and raised in China, Li migrated to the United States in 1996 with the intention of completing a doctorate in immunology. But, she says, “I wanted to do something I loved”. That turned out to be writing. In 2005, she added a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Iowa to her Bachelor of Science and research master’s in immunology.

I imagine these qualifications, along with her nuclear physicist father, provided deep immersion in the scientific method – and led to her writing style, imbued with systematic...

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