A review by aedod
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book is an absolute heartwrencher. Think of just about any trigger warning, and you’ll need it for this book. If you want a good cry I recommend this; not for the faint of heart.

What makes this a 5 star book for me was not the (admittedly perhaps overdone) tragic plot, but the prose and the characters. I enjoyed the writing style and its focus: friendship, and love. The untraditional format of writing that spanned several decades makes for an appropriate stage for the scale of the emotional content contained within. The ins and outs of living and the way we internalize and share our past. The way we bring past traumas into our relationships. The way we drive ourselves and determine what life is for, and why it’s worth it. It’s philosophical in many senses; practical in others. The way that the characters consider each other rings so true. 

I ugly cried twice during this read. 
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