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howlchemy'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
i'm not taking back my 5* rating, because i (unfortunately?) really enjoyed this book and there are certain aspects to which i relate to but, after months of pondering, i cannot recommend this book anymore. and i am very sorry to the people i have recommended this to.
a really good way to start this is by letting you guys read this article by andrea long chu for the vulture: https://www.vulture.com/article/hanya-yanagihara-review.html.
or also, a youtube video:
https://youtu.be/JpZF7O0jezg?si=pWTZBw6LiELRv7Tz
it took so long, but i finally opened up my eyes to the writing style, plot and to the author herself. for a really long time, i did not believe that were people were saying that hanya loves to write gay characters suffering but oh my god, she really does. it's some weird, f*cked up fetishising view on gay people, specially men who seem to be the focus of her books. she's always writing about the most stereotypical things about gay man (like having aids, being victims of SA and/or physical abuse, etc) and some of us have fallen the tiktok rabbit hole of eating this sh*t up.
in a lot of ways, i relate to jude, hence why i have loved this book and i always backed up my opinion by saying jude is the personification of so many people (as if he's the bearer of all the possibly bad things that can happen to a human being), but i simply CAN'T agree with myself. hanya yanagihara just loves writing about weak, sickly young gay men being tortured beyond comprehension. there's never a happy ending, and i know it doesn't have to, but yanagihara probably gets off on seeing miserable people.
not to mention that she is so uncultured, to an extent that made ME feel uncultured. the things that went over my head because she, quite literally, triggered me so much to the point of sobbing on my couch at 10 am finishing this godforsaken book. i think it gave me trauma. this woman has done zero research about the queer community, about therapy, about mental health - all topics she has mentioned over and over and over again in her book(s). she quite literally believes that, if you're so miserable, just k*ll yourself! .... anyway, bold of her to think that way when she coddles her characters so badly, she makes them suffer, nurses them back to health, to put them again at the brink of death, just to repeat the process all over again, until it's time to push them off the edge.
another note i'd like to make, related to my last point, is that "a little life" is just your average ikea manual instructions on how to self-harm. this was brought to my attention in the video i have linked above, and i think it's absolutely mental the amount of times yanagihara writes detailed, gore filed, vomit inducing passages of self-harm. as someone who struggles with that, at first, i felt seen but it came to a point that i couldn't fathom why the depictions had to become more and more disturbing as time went on.
to finish my thoughts, i leave you with my favourite quote from the article by andrea:
"The first time he cuts himself, you are horrified; the 600th time, you wish he would aim."
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Car accident, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Eating disorder
Minor: Drug abuse, Transphobia, Drug use, and Lesbophobia
prawdziwki's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Graphic: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Death, Chronic illness, Ableism, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Biphobia, Transphobia, Homophobia, Vomit, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, Outing, Addiction, Drug abuse, Medical content, Classism, Racism, and Grief
mercedes_bente's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Ableism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Self harm
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Hate crime, Racism, and Racial slurs
mari_vangberg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Please look up the TWs for this book before reading it though, because there are a lot of them.
Graphic: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Abandonment, Medical content, Death, Kidnapping, Suicide, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Drug use, Dysphoria, Grief, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Rape, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Sexual content, Ableism, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
xandra1412's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Racism, Ableism, Cursing, Drug use, and Death of parent
luxxltyd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Child death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Vomit, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Gore, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Ableism, Mental illness, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Car accident, Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Minor: Homophobia
myterese's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit
rosiejode'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? It's complicated
5.0
9 days later - I still feel empty and can’t stop thinking about this book 😭
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Racism, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Addiction, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Gore, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Sexual content
susannedeheer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Little Life asks the question what stories are meant for. And it is a good story, but the moment it crosses some line is the moment the story loses its essence or goal. For me ( and i think for almost everyone) it is the too much trauma for one persons life. A turned around deus ex machina who comes out of nowhere. And of course life can be cruel and uncertain, but can we just believe or pretend to believe when we’re reading stories?
I’m sad to leave them behind, but it feels finished, rounded and so i can actually move on. Their whole lives are on paper (even though it felt like they never get older, and still stay 20-something. So i will definitely read it when i’m older to see what the difference is)
I finished it just in time for the play by ITA. Very curious how they bring this cruel and beautiful life to the stage. It almost feels impossible, unreachable to bring these stories to life. The book is able to keep it at some distance, but i’m sure the realness on stage will bring some new heaviness to it.
Graphic: Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Child abuse, Self harm, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Child death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Pedophilia
ktbee'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Car accident, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Eating disorder, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Self harm, Trafficking, Medical trauma, and Rape
Moderate: Racism, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, and Ableism