joannenyc 's review for:

חיים קטנים by Hanya Yanagihara

4.0

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

---

Has a book ever been so gut wrenching / traumatic that you immediately feel dirty or like you need therapy? Well this book definitely made me need breaks. The writing is beautiful. I could have easily given this book 5 stars but my only complaint is that it is unnecessarily long. It could have easily been 200 pages shorter and still conveyed a beautiful yet painful story.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail