sjc12308 's review for:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

5.0

dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

This book was insane. Over 814 pages I grew to love these four guys and for tragedy after tragedy to continue happening made me actually tear up multiple times. I think this is by far the most emotional book I have ever read but it has such good writing about how people deal with trauma and how you can’t fix someone or love them to life no matter how hard you try or all of the right things you do. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this book. Although I disagree with these people, I understand why people say it’s a bad book because there are unnecessary dark topics. I think they were necessary to develop (mostly Jude’s) character and help the reader understand why he was the way that he was, but you definitely need to be in a good head space to read this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment