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dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Oh my gods. This book is painful and beautiful and haunting and powerful all rolled together. Yanahihara is a beautiful writer and the way she writes is effortlessly sublime. This book shows the worst of people and the best of others, tracking the way that extreme trauma and abuse can change the very fabric of how one views themselves. Despite good looks, money, friends, success, and deeply profound love—trauma and the ghosts left behind persevere. The story clearly depicts how, even at its most annoying, frustrating, and infuriating someone’s lack of faith in themself can be, so often it’s the result of something beyond reason. I really loved the way the story unfolded, from different perspective and back and forth between time.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
It is impossible for me to rate this book on a scale from 0 to 5. I do, however, have many criticisms to make about it, but I sincerely believe that Jude will stay with me for a long time, if not for the rest of my life. I cannot describe this book or assign it adjectives. I never thought I would finish this 1,123-page novel, and yet I devoured the last 600 pages in just a few days. I know that Jude exists — it’s obvious.
Content Warnings
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
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While i honestly skimmed the parts including self harm, trafficking, and sexual assault, I guess they were super important in explaining Jude's relationships and his personality in his adult life :( (even thought I can't stand him, I can understand him)Jude's inability to open up/accept his family/not be so hateful def pissed me off, but that was how his personality was, and because of it the plot was quite unique. Reminds me of someone I know. I thought the most emotional parts were Harold's letters to Willem( and I choose to believe he was writing him letters throughout their lives, not just written in retrospect after Willem's accident) when he is writing the final letter, the explanation of Jude's death is so quick and matter-of-fact, which was a quick turn and this ending was 10/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Trafficking
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Beautifully written, if a little problematic, A Little Life is an intimate, oftentimes unflinching look at the long term effects of trauma and abuse.
Content Warnings
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
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
This book was beautifully written. The subject matter was hard to read at times. The writing made the read enjoyable even when the story was not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating A Little Life is difficult. It wasn't necessarily an "enjoyable read". But it brought up some interesting thoughts for me.
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.
Jude's life is so horrifically horrible on one hand, but on the other extreme, he has everything going for him. Every reason to heal. Apart from the trauma itself, and further traumatic events, there are no barriers to his healing. Money is not an issue, friendship is not an issue, support is not an issue, medical care is not an issue. He has the finances, resources, and people in his life to make healing possible.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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