anxiouspurpleelephant 's review for:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

4.0

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I thought this book was one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read, but I won’t be recommending it to anyone simply because of how much triggering content there is. I didn’t give it 5 stars due to the amount of extremely triggering content, as it made it so difficult to read. I understand that without it the book would be not nearly as heartbreaking, however I still wish there was less of that content. This book was absolutely heartbreaking and it’s one of the few books I’ve properly cried over. Please think carefully before reading this book. Another thing I think is important is for the author to add content warnings at the beginning of the book/on the blurb.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria