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chloleighton's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Car accident, Death, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Pedophilia, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Child death, Addiction, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, and Drug abuse
eliel's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Self harm, Violence, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Toxic relationship
silverbirch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Death
kiwi_burger's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Suicide, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Grief, and Sexual violence
tinytrashqueen's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Medical trauma, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Rape, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Medical content, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Self harm, Mental illness, Grief, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, and Ableism
Minor: Cancer and Dementia
monsterapothos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Ableism, Car accident, Death, Toxic friendship, and Violence
acomwt's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Trafficking, Sexual content, Mental illness, Infidelity, Grief, Torture, Suicide, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, Alcoholism, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Pedophilia, Gore, Death of parent, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Hate crime, Car accident, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Cursing, Chronic illness, Body horror, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship
dairyfreemozzarella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
on a seperate note i think the back cover should reflect more of the pure agony of this book OR there should be a list of trigger warnings in the begining. i was not prepared!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Medical trauma, Ableism, Blood, Grief, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Trafficking, Violence, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Medical content, Mental illness, Torture, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Body horror, Car accident, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Excrement, Kidnapping, Stalking, Eating disorder, Outing, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Vomit, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, and Dementia
busy_bee's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
THE GOOD
1. The Writing
Hanya's prose is musical. It takes a master to be able to write such quality prose that the reader is engaged for over 700 pages. She switches perspectives often as well, and because she allows you such an intimate look at each character (even when not solely in their perspective) the reader doesn't get confused. The way she writes prose dependent upon who is narrating is subtle but vital to the deeper meaning of the novel.
2. The Relationships
The relationships and how they evolve in this novel is something magical and is something that Hanya is able to do so effectively because of how long her novel is. There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this novel, but you don't forget the important ones.
3. Mental Health
Obviously, this novel has an intense, long list of content warnings, and for good reason. Jude is a character that is tormented by his past, and the reader is tormented as he reveals it to us and as we watch him struggle to carry the weight of it all. I felt that the depiction was raw and honest, not only from Jude but also from those around him. Willem, Harold, and Andy are those closest to him and arguably those most affected by his self-destructive behavior. For a long time, without even knowing why.
THE CRITIQUE
1. Length
I thought at first that some parts of this novel could have been removed and it could have been shortened. However, I see why Hanya had to keep everything in. The book is literally called "A Little Life," and sometimes life is mundane. It wouldn't be good writing if she just wrote "and then Jude was sad because of his trauma." She has to show us, and because her prose writing flows so easily, it doesn't feel like reading over 700 pages throughout. There are times where I wish that chapters were shorter, they sometimes felt overwhelmingly long.
2. Was it too graphic?
It could be argued that the depth and severity of the detail in Jude's story was too graphic for a novel, and it was certainly difficult to read at times. However, I think that without the graphic detail some of the severity of the seriousness would have been lost. Some of the horrors that Jude lived through are, literally, unimaginable without Hanya's descriptive prose. Does Hanya, an author who, to the best of our collective outsider knowledge, has not lived through any of these horrors or experienced any of the severe mental distress, have the ethical right to write about these topics? Personally, I believe that even if she didn't live through these things herself, she was certainly educated enough to write intelligently and thoroughly. Additionally, those who have lived through horrific things would likely not write a fictional novel about it (not that Hanya is a savior for them, by any means, but she did bring attention to some things that most authors shy away from.)
3. Race, Gender, and Sexuality
This novel consisted of, what we assume to be, mostly white characters, plus JB, the one Black character who of course has a drug problem. I do wish there had been more explicit racial diversity throughout the novel because while JB's race wasn't a main plot point, it was discussed, and I would have liked to see more discussion of other experiences. This was a predominantly male centered story, with very little feminine energy throughout. Julia is the most consistent and significant woman besides Ana. I think that mental health and men is rarely discussed though, so for that reason I think it was okay. Connections between men are not celebrated in modern culture as much as they should be. Sexuality was also a topic that was discussed off and on throughout. Queer people existed in this story consistently: JB, Jude, Willem, the Lesbians from the beginning, etc. It was never a major focus though, and I sort of enjoyed that. It's common for whenever there is a queer character in a novel for them to be constantly battling with it and questioning and coming out and on and on and on. But in this novel, the characters just exist as they are and it isn't a problem.
OTHER THINGS I WANT TO SAY
1. JB
He was a character I despised at first and grew to tolerate and then empathize for. He was arrogant, selfish, and did what was best for him not matter what it meant for those around him.
2. Malcom
He really fell off the plot towards the end of the novel and I wish we had seen more of him. However, it was so evident how deeply he cared about all of his friends and I love him for that. I think he was see as a background character by those in his life as well as the reader.
3. The Lack of Context
I've seen some reviews talk about their disappointment in the lack of social context. For all the queer characters, there is no mention of AIDS or anti-LGBT legislation. There are no significant social events like wars, 9/11, protests, or movements being discussed. There's not even a single mention of a pop culture event like Y2K or any name drops like Madonna. Is it that the characters just don't care about the world around them? How are we supposed to know when the story is taking place? Personally, I think this was a deliberate choice by Hanya. Without context aging the novel, the story and its messages can stand the test of time better than it would if it were set explicitly in present day or in the past.
OVERRALL THOUGHTS
I cannot in good faith give this novel anything but 5 stars. The way it is written, what it is written about, and the people within the story are so masterfully done that it would be wrong to say that some aspects of the book being controversial make the book worse. If anything, it makes it the book better, because the book is promoting deep, intellectual thought. It is heartbreakingly, gut-wrenchingly, devastatingly sad.
This novel is so sad. But it's also so much more than that. I don't recommend this book to anyone, you need to decide for yourself that you're in the right headspace to read it and take care of yourself. Writing this review was honestly very therapeutic. Now I'm going to read a silly romance novel or something to remind myself that life is good again.
Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Self harm
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Infidelity, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, and Child death
READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS. If you are hesitant to read it because of the content, DON'T. It's a lot, and it's challenging. I loved this book, but you need to take your time and practice intense self-care during and after reading.goodnightngo's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide attempt, Torture, Body shaming, Body horror, Chronic illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Blood, Trafficking, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Gore, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Violence
read the TWs….