emz2702 's review for:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

3.75

challenging dark emotional informative 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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A MYRIAD OF CONTENT WARNINGS. The opposite of light-hearted. This book made me miserable. And yet I appreciated the insight and the range of emotions associated with the human condition. As Jude pulled narrative focus as the book went on, I did feel that characters other than Jude were not as well fleshed out or viewpoints heard which was a shame. I also felt like we never got to understand JB, and the language in his early chapter was so wonderful and different that I wish we got to read more. Despite that, a hauntingly beautiful read, that's grown on me the longer after finishing it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail