artandwhimsy 's review for:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

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I mean, without a doubt this is a masterpiece. I could write paragraphs breaking down the story, the characters, the flow of writing that reads so effortlessly — save for the content which is not so effortless to get through. Not since Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan series have I read a piece of writing that felt so intimately real and true. Having neither seen nor read any interviews by the author, for all I know this is semi-autobiographical and I would not be surprised. The real, true, tragedy and love and humanity that is captured in “A Little Life” is, once again, a masterpiece. 

It is also genuinely triggering, in the literal sense. It certainly was for me, so if you do take on this artistic piece of writing know that you’re in for quite the journey and you’ll want to keep tissues on hand. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail