Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

Een klein leven by Hanya Yanagihara

50 reviews

sentiaracha's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Ableism, Domestic abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Death of parent, Vomit, Transphobia, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Grief, Excrement, Drug abuse, and Death

Minor: Cancer, Dementia, and Fatphobia

dandiego_01's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I felt a whirlwind of emotions when reading this book. As soon as something happy happened, right afterwards, the author had to crush your hopes and dreams for the character. I found it difficult to come to terms with the injustice and extreme abuse of Jude. Although this book was an extremely painful read, I still took some of the opinions expressed in the book and made them my own (for example, with Willem's opinion on therapy). I also find myself craving the way she wrote mundane scenes in an immersive, comfortable writing style but I definitely had to close the book a few times on more graphic scenes (painful).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Excrement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse

gabbagirl's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Not a book for the faint of heart. These characters deal from every type of trauma imaginable. I mention this not discourage anyone from reading, but to give insight into what you're getting yourself into. With all of that said, this is certainly one of my favorite reads. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

cjallen's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

clausbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

I Traumatised Myself And You Can Too!

I'll say one thing before letting you jump into this; whatever you do, under no circumstances let yourself relate to any character in this book. You will be emotionally demolished.

Another side note: I have added all the content warnings I remembered that I came across throughout the book, if any of these might present a trigger to you, take my advice and do not read this. It is all described in such horrendously graphic detail that at times I had to put the book down and could not pick it up for the next few days.

That being said, this is one of the most linguistically and psychologically complex books I have ever had the privilege of reading, and I know for a fact that I will think about it forever. Hanya Yanagihara's novel follows four bright ambitious and talented friends living in New York after university and struggling to navigate and find their place in the wider world. 

Around 100 pages in, it's clear that the main protagonist of this story is Jude St. Francis, and as the focus on his life intensifies, we begin to understand the extremities and intricacies of his first 15 years of life. This part of the book outlines a decade and a half of mental, psychological, and physical abuse which is by far the most grotesque thing I have ever read in my life.

Despite the fact that more often than not, A Little Life could easily be described as "gratuitously graphic", Yanagihara's novel puts so much soul into the in-depth character analysis of every single person we come across within its 700 pages. By the end we find ourselves empty and hurt because we have spent so long getting to know these intricate and complicated people, and attempting to answer with them a series of life's unanswerable questions.

More than anything I think I loved this book so much because it wasn't based around romance and sex. Of course it was included, after all this is a memoir which follows four men living in New York from age 20 to 60. But the most satisfying thing to me was that solace was rarely found in romantic connections, it was the friendships and their fluidity and complexity which gave this novel it's beautiful intensity. 

A Little Life was upsetting, traumatic, and harrowing. But by far the best book I have ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence

dearbhlaq'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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Body horror, Self harm, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Medical content, Hate crime, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Child death, Ableism, Abandonment, Gore, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Excrement, Emotional abuse, and Chronic illness

ganseys's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Death, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Ableism, Abandonment, Body shaming, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, and Stalking

hannah_jane_e's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Ableism, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, and Kidnapping

mimideluisa's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

sheryl_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A Little Life tells the epic story of 4 friends in New York City - or at least that’s what the synopsis says. But it’s a lot more than that. 

My copy is 720 pages long and, although there are slower sections, I enjoyed spending every page with these characters. Not just the 4 friends, but the supporting characters too. You live with them through their darkest moments and their triumphs. 

I’m keeping this spoiler free, so I won’t go into the story, but for me it’s a 5 ⭐️ read! I’d seen other reviews that raves about it, so went in thinking it might not live up to expectations, but it 100% does. 

If this has been sitting on your shelf - go read it. And if it’s not on your shelf, go get it. It will leave you with a book hangover, but a hangover of the best kind! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence

Moderate: Vomit