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A review by iamother
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What makes this book hard to evaluate is that you can’t necessarily judge the trauma of someone else and how they experience it. But what you can judge is how that experience is articulated to the reader and that aspect of it is where this book falters. What would have made this book more relatable is focusing on the characters with hardships that seem more commonplace (which is a terrible way to frame this) others could relate to. Whether or not those characters could overcome them and function in society. Versus the one character where nothing seemed to go right. Where his experiences seemed to get worse often to the point that it almost took me out of the story. But that main perspective deserves to be told because I don’t doubt something similar has happened. The monologues of the characters seem to clash with their actions. They make these big epiphanies about their lives and what is wrong with them but do nothing to change it. Maybe that is the author’s way of illustrating how people can get caught in dangerous cycles. How those around us can enable us instead of having the conversations necessary before it is too late. My other problem was the way that these people’s lives were portrayed. That some came from wealthy families and still struggled emotionally. Others overcame hardship to obtain the things that our society views as meaningful and still they weren’t happy. Maybe it’s a way of showing that money doesn’t buy happiness, but it can also instill in others that no matter what I do I’ll never be free of this pain. Everyone in the story suffered, but their experiences were all funneled through the perspective of the main character whose traumas eclipse theirs by a mile. Which causes the reader to unfairly compare traumas when in reality all of it is subjective. So no emotional storyline was resolved. We don’t know if they were truly able to find a happy medium or a level of contentment because the main characters plight meant their lives had to be put on hold. Maybe that’s what it means to be in a committed friendship or relationship with someone in deep trauma but that wasn’t articulated. Or if they were truly happy with the sacrifice they gave to someone who gave them little in return. We got the main character’s perspective but not much of anyone else’s. These monologues were deep and meaningful but I wish some of it was articulated in conversation to one another. Like the therapy sessions that were mentioned off screen. As a lesson, so that the reader could feel like maybe that is an option for them in order to avoid something tragic. But maybe missed opportunities was a point the author was trying to make. Overall, a great story that was written beautifully considering the subject matter.
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse