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A review by srbookish
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
3.0
my first reactions half way through this book and then again as I finished and closed it was “this is not giving”.
I had the highest of expectations because of so many reviews and recs I’ve read, and that’s why I put this book off for so long! It’s been sitting on my shelf for almost a year lol! so of course finally picking it up, I really thought I was going to be shattered and I just wasn’t. at multiple parts of this book, I even stopped and asked myself “am I too broken” because I just didn’t crumble the way others portrayed they had when reading this.
was this a good read, yes. what I recommend it for someone looking for an emotional read, no. it does portray the not so perfect reality of what some people’s lives look like, and I really appreciated the transparency and rawness. there were multiple characters you met but my favorite character was absolutely Jude, and more so because his life story was the focus.
there are definitely some tough and dark topics discussed: self mutilation, suicide, child abuse, trafficking, sexual abuse, poverty, domestic abuse, abandonment, mental health, physical health. the list honestly goes on, and that’s probably what kept me reading because I do tend to stray towards those topics in books if I’m looking for an emotional read. but I sat patiently waiting for the tears to come and they never did.
I had the highest of expectations because of so many reviews and recs I’ve read, and that’s why I put this book off for so long! It’s been sitting on my shelf for almost a year lol! so of course finally picking it up, I really thought I was going to be shattered and I just wasn’t. at multiple parts of this book, I even stopped and asked myself “am I too broken” because I just didn’t crumble the way others portrayed they had when reading this.
was this a good read, yes. what I recommend it for someone looking for an emotional read, no. it does portray the not so perfect reality of what some people’s lives look like, and I really appreciated the transparency and rawness. there were multiple characters you met but my favorite character was absolutely Jude, and more so because his life story was the focus.
there are definitely some tough and dark topics discussed: self mutilation, suicide, child abuse, trafficking, sexual abuse, poverty, domestic abuse, abandonment, mental health, physical health. the list honestly goes on, and that’s probably what kept me reading because I do tend to stray towards those topics in books if I’m looking for an emotional read. but I sat patiently waiting for the tears to come and they never did.