A review by danaaliyalevinson
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is my favorite book I’ve ever read, usurping Ken Follett’s “The Pillars of the Earth”. Incandescent. Equally harrowing and hopeful, brutal and beautiful. A modern sweeping American gothic masterpiece. Also without getting into details, as a trauma survivor, I cannot overstate how much this resonated with me, gave me a fair amount of catharsis, and, perhaps strangely, gave me a lot of hope.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Self harm, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Trafficking

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Confinement and Transphobia