Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

233 reviews

ledyew's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Rape, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Violence, Suicide, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Medical trauma

sim_pum's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Medical content, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Drug use, Body shaming, Grief, Addiction, Rape, and Vomit

garbche's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No

0.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Bullying, Gore, Self harm, Addiction, Child abuse, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Domestic abuse, and Body horror

libbyyjo's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Death, Ableism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Trafficking, Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Sexual content, Death of parent, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Grief, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content

hollynewton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

This book navigates adult friendships, aging, career paths, addiction, romantic relationships, and family is the most insightful and beautiful way I have ever read. Unfortunately, this all ends around a third of the way in, when the book focuses on one character’s extremely traumatic life. <spoilers> The graphic and excessive descriptions of child rape, self harm and domestic abuse left me desensitised, an effect that I think is harmful to the reader and one that I hope the author did not intend. I understand that Jude’s suffering is the foundation of his character, but Yanagihara’s rendering of his abuse feels sensationalist and in my opinion trauma porn. Whilst a full recovery and happy ending for Jude would have been unrealistic, the sheer volume of physical, psychological, sexual abuse he experiences is so extreme that it feels pointless. Yes, everything that happens to Jude happens to real people, but does it all ever happen to one singular person? Jude is abandoned in an alley as a baby, a child prostitute raped almost daily, a double amputee, has an eating disorder, performs serious self harm almost daily, and loses the love of his life in a car accident. But also, he’s a vastly wealthy and successful lawyer, an exquisite singer of Schubert’s lieder, a professional-grade baker, incredibly good-looking, is adopted as an adult by his ex professor and falls in love with his best friend of 30 years. <spoilers> The result is that the book feels preachy without actually being clear as to what it is preaching; are we to feel guilty that such horrors occur in the world? Empathy for this fictitious anomaly of a person who experiences it all? Grateful for our own normal struggles in life? I’m not sure, but this book was painful to read and without many benefits for me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Body shaming, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Body horror, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Cursing, Excrement, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Car accident, Dysphoria, Gore, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking

_hiitsstella's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I hate that I like this book, I can't help but look back on this story through rose-tinted glasses. Obviously I refuse to actually re-open the book because I know I would quickly prove myself wrong, forcing me into misery. This book is torture porn in pretty packaging; the writing is lovely, but the content is gruesome and often nauseating. I would not recommend reading this, I know however, that those determined to seek out and consume this type of content will do so despite numerous warnings. Check the trigger warnings, the list is never-ending.

This book feels like a form of trauma-bonding (not in the way social media defines trauma-bonding, but the actual psychological phenomena) the book hurts you, and yet you never want to let it go. It (dare I say) traumatizes you, and you end up bonded with it, seeing aspects of it in your day-to-day life for months after you've put the book away.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug use, Homophobia, Self harm, Violence, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Torture, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Death, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Alcohol

lillianareads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Confinement, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Child death, Addiction, Grief, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Self harm, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Rape, Drug use, Cursing, Chronic illness, and Body horror

erikajosephison's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is not for everyone - very important to check all trigger/content warnings before reading. I know the book is controversial (and for good reason) but I really loved the writing and the character profiles that the author created in such a way they felt like real people, like friends I actually knew. I also loved how Time was conveyed throughout the novel as well - without specific dates or years but through occasions and references to those in flashbacks. It is a difficult book, with a lot of confronting topics (even beyond the expected) but worthwhile. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Grief, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Trafficking

Moderate: Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Vomit, Bullying, Eating disorder, and Suicide

Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Cursing, Excrement, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, and Homophobia

peachblossomreads's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

minijelly's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Dysphoria, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Rape, Medical content, Self harm, Suicide, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Medical trauma, Eating disorder, Death, and Trafficking