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A review by joyceheinen
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“A Little Life” tells the story of four friends who met in college and spend their lives together in New York City. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity.
The story focuses mainly on the life of one of these friends, Jude, who carries with him a traumatic past and as a result not only struggles with himself but also with the relationships with others. The book discusses various themes such as friendship, trauma and love. In addition, “A Little Life” beautifully depicts the complexity of human emotions.
The book is both heartbreaking and beautiful, the characters feel real and their stories touch you to the depth of your soul. It’s very well-written, with an almost poetic use of language and wonderful sense of detail.
Be prepared that this book deals with very heavy topics of child abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, self-harm and suicide. It’s a very sad book and it got me emotional on several occasions.
Author Hanya Yanagihara uses an authorial narrator, who alternately zooms in on the various characters, giving you as a reader a deeper understanding of their thoughts and emotions. This makes for a memorable reading experience. Only downside is that it’s really long and slow paced, which I felt at some parts of the story.
This book is very emotional, but so beautiful. I understand why so many people love it and why it’s on so many favorites-lists.
The story focuses mainly on the life of one of these friends, Jude, who carries with him a traumatic past and as a result not only struggles with himself but also with the relationships with others. The book discusses various themes such as friendship, trauma and love. In addition, “A Little Life” beautifully depicts the complexity of human emotions.
The book is both heartbreaking and beautiful, the characters feel real and their stories touch you to the depth of your soul. It’s very well-written, with an almost poetic use of language and wonderful sense of detail.
Be prepared that this book deals with very heavy topics of child abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, self-harm and suicide. It’s a very sad book and it got me emotional on several occasions.
Author Hanya Yanagihara uses an authorial narrator, who alternately zooms in on the various characters, giving you as a reader a deeper understanding of their thoughts and emotions. This makes for a memorable reading experience. Only downside is that it’s really long and slow paced, which I felt at some parts of the story.
This book is very emotional, but so beautiful. I understand why so many people love it and why it’s on so many favorites-lists.