Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

248 reviews

sophie_inthebooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

This was probably the most challenging book I read so far. The traumatic story of the main character was so intense (and cruel) I had to put down the book several times to recover from what I had just read. Nonetheless I loved reading this book. The evolving relationship between Jude and William and the friendships to all the people surrounding them were beautifully written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Dysphoria, Terminal illness, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, Child abuse, and Death

jessidbee's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• 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

Awful! In the best way possible! I am NOT okay after reading this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Confinement, Eating disorder, Self harm, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Rape, and Suicide

feral_andro's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

3.0

tw: suicide

minor spoilers

I did not particularly like this book and don't understand why so many people do. The writing was not immersive for me -- instead of showing the reader who the characters are, all we get are endlessly long descriptions of the author telling us. I typically really enjoy dense writing, but it was not beautiful or original prose.
As for content, I still don't know how I feel about it. As someone who has experienced abuse, I just don't see Jude's internalization of it as realistic. Yes, there are elements of realism,  but I think the degree to which he has internalized what he experienced is dramatized in the extreme and somehow takes away from the experiences of real abuse survivors .... though I have not yet been able to find the words to describe why I feel this.
(Possibly because in the end we're just supposed to accept that some people are too broken to be "saved" and are just destined to die. And as someone who has been suicidal before, I don't like this suggestion at all.)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Drug use, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Violence, Ableism, Blood, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Mental illness, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Grief, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, Acephobia/Arophobia, Dysphoria, Infidelity, and Toxic friendship

samlv's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad 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

4.5

Starts out really slow but once you get through the first 200 or so pages the pace increases and more of the plot is revealed. This is when the character development really starts 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Body horror, and Car accident

Minor: Confinement, Medical content, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Outing, Drug use, Body shaming, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, and Gaslighting

mlauzon878's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Grief, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Child abuse, and Self harm

ibjilln's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

0.25

No. Fuck this book. 
If you're looking to read this, don't. 
It is nothing but gratuitous misery porn. 
It is not a book about friendship - it is a book about enablers and people taking advantage of one another. 
The characters do not grow, or develop, but instead are simple "plot" devices to keep the pages going and they hash out the same problem over and over again. It's hard to feel anything for them when they do nothing to help themselves/their situation. 
It's 700 pages of Jude unwilling to face reality that he's been horribly mistreated by nearly every one in his world, including his "friends", and in turn mistreating those that do care.

Jude could've saved himself, and us, the pain by ending it 700 pages sooner or fucking accepting help and going to therapy

.
Once again, no. Fuck this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Medical trauma, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Vomit, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, and Eating disorder

Dead dove; do not eat

jco1016's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Suicide, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Child death, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

holliejoy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual violence, Stalking, Excrement, Addiction, Body horror, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Suicide, and Terminal illness

_poppy_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Child death, Rape, Abandonment, Death, Drug use, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Medical content, Sexual assault, Suicide, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

kallemalle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Dysphoria, and Pedophilia