A review by readitandweep01
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It took me years to get around to this book because it is so incredibly polarizing. Now that I’ve done it, I can confidently say that it is probably one of the most beautifully raw stories ever written about the human condition. I disagree with reviews that classified this book as “torture porn”; it’s an extreme reduction of the very real issues explored in the book. This is not a story about how some people are irredeemable, but about how sometimes despite an abundance of good, some traumas are too hard for the human psyche to let go of. Due to some of the content explored in this book, trigger warnings are necessary but if someone can withstand it, then they should definitely read this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt