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unalasa 's review for:
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It is hard to rate this book from 1–5. Because I get the hype, I get the following, and I honor the unofficial title of "the most devastating book of the past decade." (I don't actually know if anyone calls it, but the bookworm community online certainly reacts to it in this way)
But at the same time, it gets so dark and in so. much. detail. Does the writing deserve above my rating, five stars even? Yes. But is it a book I'd ever recommend to anyone? No. It's like recommending Requiem for A Dream—it's well done, but you'd be a total asshole to the other person by telling them to read/watch it.
I'm not a wuss when it comes to sad stories. I love them. I'm on a constant hunt for the next devastating book, movie, or TV show. But in A Little Life, I not only met my match, I was absolutely destroyed. Even I had to at one point say: "Enough. You've made your point that things are awful and hopeless. Move on." It's not difficult to finish because it's boring (it's not), it's soul-crushing. And in a sadistic way that often feels like it wasn't necessary.
So, read at your own discretion.
But at the same time, it gets so dark and in so. much. detail. Does the writing deserve above my rating, five stars even? Yes. But is it a book I'd ever recommend to anyone? No. It's like recommending Requiem for A Dream—it's well done, but you'd be a total asshole to the other person by telling them to read/watch it.
I'm not a wuss when it comes to sad stories. I love them. I'm on a constant hunt for the next devastating book, movie, or TV show. But in A Little Life, I not only met my match, I was absolutely destroyed. Even I had to at one point say: "Enough. You've made your point that things are awful and hopeless. Move on." It's not difficult to finish because it's boring (it's not), it's soul-crushing. And in a sadistic way that often feels like it wasn't necessary.
So, read at your own discretion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail