Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Graphic: Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt
Very slow start with so many introductions, it's hard to keep everyone straight. The timeline is also confusing at the beginning.
**PUSH THROUGH IT** You will be rewarded with such a real, gut punch, emotional touching story.
Friendships that are deep, real & meaningful and take on so many different forms throughout life.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship
Minor: Car accident
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
I LOVED the importance this book gave friendship.
“Why wasn’t friendship as good as a relationship? Why wasn’t it even better? It was people who remained together, day after day, bound not by sex or physical attraction or money or children or property, but only by the shared agreement to keep going, the mutual dedication to a union that could never be codified. Friendship was witnessing another’s slow drip of miseries, and long bouts of boredom, and occasional triumphs. It was feeling honored by the privilege of getting to be present for another person’s most dismal moments, and knowing that you could be dismal around him in return..”
Only knocked off 0.25 because I felt it didn’t need to be quite so long. And because I felt like Jude didn’t need quite so much trauma.
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
A Little Life should not be read as realism. The extremes are not realistic and I don't think they're meant to be. There are many literary styles that set up extremes to further the actual character study. I don't think Jude and his situation were ever meant to represent a real person and their story, but rather to serve as a a philosophical question.
A Little Life walks the line between my frustration and my empathy. In the same moment that I'm angry with Jude for not accepting help, I also understand it.
The book, for me, contrasts our views on physical and mental health. Mental health is so sticky and fuzzy and tricky. Jude's physical health mirrors his mental health. His physical health is fragile and in decline. And everyone knows it. Everyone has accepted his physical limitations--in fact, they accept it more than he does. And I'd argue that they accept a lot of the limitations caused by his mental health as well. However, there is an acceptance that he will not get better physically, and a refusal and frustration to accept that he will not get better mentally. Nobody is frustrated with Jude for losing his legs. But they are frustrated with his inability to stop harming himself.
We understand the concept of a terminal illness. Someone being given 5 years to live is an accepted concept. We know that some physical illnesses-no matter how much money, how much support and how many resources you have-just don't get better and in fact can get much much worse. But rarely do we apply that understanding to mental health. We don't really think of any mental illnesses as terminal. And perhaps there's a danger in accepting that. Perhaps if we were to accept that, fewer people would recover.
It's an especially interesting topic as medically assisted death is being debated as to whether it should include mental health conditions. Is there ever a point at which we can or should just accept that someone will not mentally get better and they will suffer and suffer and that forcing them to continue living is just a cruelty?
I don't have the answer to that.
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Outing, Abandonment