Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

Ein wenig Leben by Hanya Yanagihara

52 reviews

rachaelallyn's review against another edition

dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

elizabethc17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Blood, Excrement, and Car accident

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Cursing, and Medical content

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

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

Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, and Dementia

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

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

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

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, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

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

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

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

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

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