Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Ein wenig Leben by Hanya Yanagihara

3759 reviews

elaysr's review against another edition

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? Yes

3.75

It was a hard read to say the least. 
I could barely get through the first 6 chapters. After getting to know the Main characters i really got into it. Hanya Yanagihara has a beautiful style of writing and a special way with words.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Rape

barbarahofler's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Medical content, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Suicide, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Rape, Blood, and Car accident

cjbuys's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Body shaming, Self harm, Drug abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, and Child abuse

averysteel's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Rape, Addiction, Mental illness, Ableism, and Child abuse

theresakehn's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.75

subjectively - one of the best written books i’ve ever read. brought me to tears (sobbing) multiple times, very moving. great characters / development of them. 

objectively - in good conscious I could never recommend this book to anyone 

** petition for some trigger warnings on this as well (like every one imaginable) 

rate: 4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Death, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

dejanira's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.0

Go the therapy or draw 25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Death, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Medical content, Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Biphobia, Dysphoria, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Violence, Chronic illness, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

shakespeareaddict's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Vomit, and Death

edelyra's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Car accident, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Vomit, Acephobia/Arophobia, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Medical content, Medical trauma, Self harm, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, Ableism, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Grief, Death, and Emotional abuse

iamother's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

What makes this book hard to evaluate is that you can’t necessarily judge the trauma of someone else and how they experience it. But what you can judge is how that experience is articulated to the reader and that aspect of it is where this book falters. What would have made this book more relatable is focusing on the characters with hardships that seem more commonplace (which is a terrible way to frame this) others could relate to. Whether or not those characters could overcome them and function in society. Versus the one character where nothing seemed to go right. Where his experiences seemed to get worse often to the point that it almost took me out of the story. But that main perspective deserves to be told because I don’t doubt something similar has happened. The monologues of the characters seem to clash with their actions. They make these big epiphanies about their lives and what is wrong with them but do nothing to change it. Maybe that is the author’s way of illustrating how people can get caught in dangerous cycles. How those around us can enable us instead of having the conversations necessary before it is too late. My other problem was the way that these people’s lives were portrayed. That some came from wealthy families and still struggled emotionally. Others overcame hardship to obtain the things that our society views as meaningful and still they weren’t happy. Maybe it’s a way of showing that money doesn’t buy happiness, but it can also instill in others that no matter what I do I’ll never be free of this pain. Everyone in the story suffered, but their experiences were all funneled through the perspective of the main character whose traumas eclipse theirs by a mile. Which causes the reader to unfairly compare traumas when in reality all of it is subjective. So no emotional storyline was resolved. We don’t know if they were truly able to find a happy medium or a level of contentment because the main characters plight meant their lives had to be put on hold. Maybe that’s what it means to be in a committed friendship or relationship with someone in deep trauma but that wasn’t articulated. Or if they were truly happy with the sacrifice they gave to someone who gave them little in return. We got the main character’s perspective but not much of anyone else’s. These monologues were deep and meaningful but I wish some of it was articulated in conversation to one another. Like the therapy sessions that were mentioned off screen. As a lesson, so that the reader could feel like maybe that is an option for them in order to avoid something tragic. But maybe missed opportunities was a point the author was trying to make. Overall, a great story that was written beautifully considering the subject matter.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Rape, Child abuse, and Violence

Minor: Drug abuse

sleepyriv's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Addiction, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping