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A review by atridie
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The worst book I’ve ever read.
Sometimes it’s easy to confuse shock value with good writing; and in this case, there’s shock value on top of shock value on top of shock value, and for no other purpose than shocking, to the point where it’s almost funny.
It’s a pathetic attempt to induce feelings in a way that feels forced and artificial. I admit that it made me cry, but mostly I was just angry at how awful the book is. And side note: as a person with a history of self-harm, the book felt like a spit in the face.
“The book follows the story of four friends…” no it does not? Malcolm dissapears pretty quickly. JB only comes back when it’s convenient, in order to push Jude’s story forward. Speaking of, I really don’t care about Jude. He feels like a cardboard cutout of a person. I don’t even know why any of them are friends.
“The writing is gorgeous though” it’s very mediocre.
I will never complain about a book ever again because there’s no way I can find something worse than this. I don’t understand why it’s so praised, or why it was published in the first place.
Sometimes it’s easy to confuse shock value with good writing; and in this case, there’s shock value on top of shock value on top of shock value, and for no other purpose than shocking, to the point where it’s almost funny.
It’s a pathetic attempt to induce feelings in a way that feels forced and artificial. I admit that it made me cry, but mostly I was just angry at how awful the book is. And side note: as a person with a history of self-harm, the book felt like a spit in the face.
“The book follows the story of four friends…” no it does not? Malcolm dissapears pretty quickly. JB only comes back when it’s convenient, in order to push Jude’s story forward. Speaking of, I really don’t care about Jude. He feels like a cardboard cutout of a person. I don’t even know why any of them are friends.
“The writing is gorgeous though” it’s very mediocre.
I will never complain about a book ever again because there’s no way I can find something worse than this. I don’t understand why it’s so praised, or why it was published in the first place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Blood, Grief, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Medical content, Rape, Body horror, Car accident, Death, Vomit, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Confinement, Religious bigotry, and Infertility
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, and Dementia