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theparallax911 's review for:
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
I picked this up as an impulse buy on my way out of the bookstore. I was looking for a very long, immersive story where I could lose myself for a few hours at a time.
I have such mixed feelings about A Little Life. It is not what you would call a traditional “page turner,” but, when you are pulled in by the raw depictions of traumatic events, it feels as though you must stay as a witness to Jude St. Francis’ suffering. You feel the powerlessness that Willem and Harold must feel when learning Jude’s past. You also cannot look away.
The prose is exemplary in its ability to draw the reader through horrifying events without romanticizing victimhood. There is a pleasant neutrality in the narrative, allowing the reader to make his or her own emotional connection to the plot.
Absolutely a must-read for anyone in the mental health or substance use treatment community. Normalizing suicidal ideation, maladaptive coping strategies, and the effects on those close to the nexus of mental illness is by far the best theme in this novel. Recognize the signs in those you love. Be open, supportive, empathetic, and most of all, love one another.
You never know what someone is going through.
I have such mixed feelings about A Little Life. It is not what you would call a traditional “page turner,” but, when you are pulled in by the raw depictions of traumatic events, it feels as though you must stay as a witness to Jude St. Francis’ suffering. You feel the powerlessness that Willem and Harold must feel when learning Jude’s past. You also cannot look away.
The prose is exemplary in its ability to draw the reader through horrifying events without romanticizing victimhood. There is a pleasant neutrality in the narrative, allowing the reader to make his or her own emotional connection to the plot.
Absolutely a must-read for anyone in the mental health or substance use treatment community. Normalizing suicidal ideation, maladaptive coping strategies, and the effects on those close to the nexus of mental illness is by far the best theme in this novel. Recognize the signs in those you love. Be open, supportive, empathetic, and most of all, love one another.
You never know what someone is going through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment