Take a photo of a barcode or cover
jakemitton 's review for:
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s been months since I read A Little Life and I’ve gone back and forth the entire time as to whether I think this book deserves 0 stars or 5 stars. I actually marked this book as DNR about half way through and put it back on my shelf with no intention of finishing it but the next day I just couldn’t handle not knowing the rest so I guess the author did a good job of making me care, however it was such a challenging read emotionally that I kind of wish I hadn’t ever started it.
As for my rating, on one hand I think the book achieved what it set out to do (absolutely destroy the reader emotionally) on the other hand I think people are right to call this torture porn and I think it is written in a really manipulative way where you can tell the author is really putting in an effort to upset the reader excessively. While parts of the writing were excellent other parts were not great, overall I think I just don’t really like the authors style.
With regards to any trigger warnings you may read, they are not enough. This book is EXTREMELY graphic and if you think you may be even slightly triggered by pretty much anything don’t read this book, it’s probably included.
In the end I think this book is well enough written that it doesn’t deserve 0 stars but I also don’t believe anyone should read this so I’ve settled for 1 star. Do Not Recommend.
As for my rating, on one hand I think the book achieved what it set out to do (absolutely destroy the reader emotionally) on the other hand I think people are right to call this torture porn and I think it is written in a really manipulative way where you can tell the author is really putting in an effort to upset the reader excessively. While parts of the writing were excellent other parts were not great, overall I think I just don’t really like the authors style.
With regards to any trigger warnings you may read, they are not enough. This book is EXTREMELY graphic and if you think you may be even slightly triggered by pretty much anything don’t read this book, it’s probably included.
In the end I think this book is well enough written that it doesn’t deserve 0 stars but I also don’t believe anyone should read this so I’ve settled for 1 star. Do Not Recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, 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, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment