A review by tinypear
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

“And so I try to be kind to everything I see, and in everything I see, I see him.”

I genuinely thought I was going to get through this without crying until I reached 'Dear Comrade'. I have never sobbed so hard whilst reading a book. The last 100 pages of this book ripped my heart out and trampled on it.

I loved A Little Life more than I can express in one review. I could not put this book down and I found the characters to be captivating, their development well fleshed-out and their lives so beautifully intertwined with each other. The story is heart-wrenching and agonising to read, especially towards the middle and the end of the book, and one that I expect to stay with me for a long time. The topics were raw and difficult but so amazingly written that I felt completely immersed in a multitude of scenes. 

Before reading this book, ensure you are comfortable with the content warnings. This book is so graphic that I had to step back a couple of times and recollect my thoughts. It's also a slow one that takes a little build-up at the beginning to get going. 🌙

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Dysphoria