A review by kaileehaong
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

5.0

I’ve had this one on my shelf for a long time and just finally picked it up to read. Wow. I feel as though I’ve lived a hundred different lives in the time it took me to read this novel. It is absolutely packed with vibrantly described characters, deep and unsettling trauma, and rich dialogue. Truly this book is a lot to handle. I often found myself having to put it down and take breaks for my own sanity and well-being. It was painful. It hurt to read. And yet I found myself pressing on, constantly turning pages, waiting for something redemptive, something hopeful, which I can’t even say for certain happens. I’m giving this 5 stars because this book felt like a masterclass on life itself. In the dictionary definition of “vicissitudes,” it should list “A Little Life.” My heart is aching for Jude, Willem, JB, Malcolm, Andy, Richard, Harold, Julia... the list goes on. I think I’ll always carry this with me, somehow. I’m changed as a reader. I can’t say I would recommend this book to someone, however, without a plethora of content warnings. It is brutal. From a craft perspective, what Hanya Yanagihara is doing here is insane. The characters are so lively, so full of life and drained of life that they feel as close to real as you can get. The dialogue is spot on every time. The pacing, especially for it being a 700+ page book, felt exactly right. The chapters and sections (though few and far in between) were necessary. It is a poignant and extremely well-written novel.