Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

71 reviews

hollynewton's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

2.0

This book navigates adult friendships, aging, career paths, addiction, romantic relationships, and family is the most insightful and beautiful way I have ever read. Unfortunately, this all ends around a third of the way in, when the book focuses on one character’s extremely traumatic life. <spoilers> The graphic and excessive descriptions of child rape, self harm and domestic abuse left me desensitised, an effect that I think is harmful to the reader and one that I hope the author did not intend. I understand that Jude’s suffering is the foundation of his character, but Yanagihara’s rendering of his abuse feels sensationalist and in my opinion trauma porn. Whilst a full recovery and happy ending for Jude would have been unrealistic, the sheer volume of physical, psychological, sexual abuse he experiences is so extreme that it feels pointless. Yes, everything that happens to Jude happens to real people, but does it all ever happen to one singular person? Jude is abandoned in an alley as a baby, a child prostitute raped almost daily, a double amputee, has an eating disorder, performs serious self harm almost daily, and loses the love of his life in a car accident. But also, he’s a vastly wealthy and successful lawyer, an exquisite singer of Schubert’s lieder, a professional-grade baker, incredibly good-looking, is adopted as an adult by his ex professor and falls in love with his best friend of 30 years. <spoilers> The result is that the book feels preachy without actually being clear as to what it is preaching; are we to feel guilty that such horrors occur in the world? Empathy for this fictitious anomaly of a person who experiences it all? Grateful for our own normal struggles in life? I’m not sure, but this book was painful to read and without many benefits for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Body shaming, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Body horror, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Cursing, Excrement, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Car accident, Dysphoria, Gore, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking

kiymariah's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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

2.75

I will not remember this as a good book at all. #Alittlelife  6/10 at best. Repetitive, cartoonish trauma porn , main characters turned to caricatures to fill plot holes and move the story along to a predictable end. I think I might actually hate this book despite a strong start . JB and Malcom had such potential. But thus is the fate of black characters written by non-black or single minded authors. It's almost cartoonishly wicked how jb becomes the black never do well of the group and Malcolm the half black lackey.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Addiction, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Ableism, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Abandonment, Grief, Car accident, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping

evieold's review

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• 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

Not a book I could recommend when people asked as it is full of every trauma you could ever imagine.  My heart breaks for all the characters throughout and I had to put it down towards the end (those who have read it will know the point I am talking about) to steel myself emotionally to finish.  However, it is the most comprehensive and deep character development I have ever read in a book and truly describes what it is to love and have lost,  and what I can only imagine it is like to live with such deep trauma.  

Not a fan of trauma for traumas sake as so many brand this genre and books like ‘My Year Of Rest And Relaxation’, but this does not compare as it has a deeper level of truth, of a real life.  

A true masterpiece of what to live a life is like, and the emotions, contradictions, and trauma which can come with it.  A book, although painful, I will read many times more, and that is saying something from someone who does not reread books often if at all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Rape, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Medical content, Hate crime, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Gore, Torture, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Vomit, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Addiction, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Kidnapping

theresa_timber's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

Never has a book so utterly and completely shattered my heart. I simultaneously want to recommend this book to everyone capable of handling it, while also burying it deep inside a safe cushioned capsule where nothing bad will happen to the characters ever again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Stalking, Car accident, Self harm, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Vomit, Kidnapping, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Death, and Sexual violence

lia934'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Rape, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Child abuse, Cursing, Medical content, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence

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

maisieme123's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

beautiful writing and character building, however did seem to drag but some could argue the detail was necessary. extremely tragic but is that much trauma realistic for one person?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Trafficking, Child abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Grief, Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Kidnapping, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Addiction, Blood, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Body shaming, Child death, Emotional abuse, Car accident, and Death of parent

xiumillion's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

This book is probably the most masochistic thing I've ever put myself through. It hurts to even think about it, so I'm not going to. Overall, beautiful story and beautiful writing. The cons are that it pretty much is torture p*rn like everyone says it is, at some points unrealistically so, and the timeline of the book is very hard to follow. I enjoy dark stories and I think they should be written, even if for no other purpose than to be dark. I do think this book took it a bit too far though. That aspect aside, it truly is an incredible book, and I already miss the characters dearly.

Please check trigger warnings before you read this book. If you have a trigger, it is probably in here 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Ableism, Car accident, Confinement, Eating disorder, Addiction, Gore, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Suicide

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

robyn1998's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

3.0

When I started reading this book I was blown away by the beautiful writing style and felt so excited to get to know the characters. But as I kept reading I found it getting more tedious, less engaging and more bold-faced in its attempts to make you feel disgusted just for the sake of it. Probably this has all already been written, but here are some thoughts: 

-Very frustrating that Yanagihara zeroed in on all the most horrific and romantic parts of being traumatised and disabled and conveniently left out the more mundane and realistic parts 

-Jude being a total Mary Sue, the best at everything despite having the worst life ever. He is the best lawyer in the world, keeps his apartment super clean, an amazing cook, a great singer - despite also being the MOST traumatised person to ever exist. As well as being in horrible chronic pain (but he doesn't take any painkillers because he's Too Strong and Traumatised and better than everyone else in pain). Some of the closest people to me have severe physical health issues; I also work with people with severe mental illness, many of which develop from incomprehensible trauma. And it does have an impact on their lives and achievements. It's pretty stupid and unbelievable that this isn't the case for Jude. 

-How come Jude has so many friends who would do anything for him after the age of 16 (and why? He seems so boring and all he does is apologise) despite having the complete opposite before 16 and everyone having been evil to him. 

-How do you get a doctor to treat you for so long without taking any money? What an absolute joke. Staying up until 1am every night to meet his patient at a diner? That struck me as not only inappropriate but also irresponsible. Is that just how it is in the US? I hope any other healthcare professionals reading this can also understand what a ridiculous premise that part of the story was - plus how naive it comes across coming from Hanya Yanagihara; you might want to help your patients but that's taking it too far and will only burn you out and wreck the boundaries between your personal and professional life. 

-Everyone being so rich and how improbable it is. I got so sick of them buying houses constantly and jetting all over the world and speaking so snobbishly. The bit about their friend Roman's partner being unintelligent made my blood boil. I just get the sense that HY is a massive snob  Absolutely 0 poor or middle class characters. Why? 

-"Oh, we're all dying..." and other sweeping generalisations and cringey dialogie dialogue- just so unbelievable, fake and cheesy 

-One thing I did like was the depiction of starvation at the end and how nasty a person can become when they're not nourishing themselves. I found it really accurate. 

-JB- I liked his character and would've liked more of his story. I was enjoying the book much more when it treated its characters as equals rather than turning into a long pity party for Jude. I like portrayals of flawed but interesting characters who don't make the best friends, as I relate to having people like that in my life. Malcolm felt extremely underdeveloped though and seemed to just fall off the face of the earth once he got married. 

-To anyone who has felt a similar way to me about this book: I would urge you to read The Heart's Invisible Furies - it's tragic, made me cry but also was so funny and big-hearted, unlike this book. You can tell the author has experienced some of what he's writing about, and you can tell he wants you to enjoy reading it rather than just trying to shock and upset you. Also it includes world events and is educational, unlike this book which seemingly happens in a vacuum. 

 - I would like to see what the rest of Hanya Yanagihara's books are about. I think she is very talented but this story was just extremely grating to me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Ableism, Eating disorder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gore, Car accident, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Death, and Body horror