You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jayadevi 's review for:
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a solidly middling book. It starts out as a story of four friends who met in college and their lives together. However it quickly spirals into trauma p*rn. I tried so hard to connect emotionally with this book and its characters, but the book just felt like words on a page written by someone who wanted their queer characters to suffer for no reason. The ending feels meaningless, the ordeals endured by the main character (as the narrative quickly shifts to focus on Jude almost exclusively and the other three boys are only written in the context of their relationship with him) feel almost spiteful in the way they have been heaped upon him. It turned my stomach time and time again to see Jude suffer, to the point where I began to wonder, "Why?" Why must he experience all of this? It was torturous, and to what end?
I did not shed a single tear while reading this book. On the contrary, I was relieved when it was over.
Despite this, I will say that Yanagihara is a good writer in a technical sense. Great prose, and I do have some passages highlighted in my hard copy. However, I will not recommend this book, and if you do decide to read it, please PLEASE research the trigger warnings because they make up the majority of the book.
I did not shed a single tear while reading this book. On the contrary, I was relieved when it was over.
Despite this, I will say that Yanagihara is a good writer in a technical sense. Great prose, and I do have some passages highlighted in my hard copy. However, I will not recommend this book, and if you do decide to read it, please PLEASE research the trigger warnings because they make up the majority of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Medical content