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A review by anythinggoes
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
4.0
HAHA it's not like i cried or anything ಥ‿ಥ
UPDATE:
Now that I have gathered my thoughts and have somewhat moved on from this book, I can finally give a proper review.
So let's talk about the specifics of A Little Life:
1. The Story
Reading this over Christmas was probably the worst decision I made in my little life. Ha! Get it? Anyway, there were parts that were too heavy to digest but they were the right amount of angst I needed to really get the feel of just how dark life really is. The overall story of this book got me thinking about how cruel people can be and how desperate others are to escape that cruelty. The trigger warnings helped a lot in preparing me for this, but I still wasn't prepared for just how nasty some parts were. I say nasty because My only silver lining was the boys' friendship.
2. The Relationships
Don't even get me started about how important this topic is in the entire book. A Little Life is heavily centered on relationships, as it is the same for each character's story. The relationships within this book were so well-thought-of and it encompasses each mistake, each misunderstanding, and each imperfection into one book. There are so many topics that really hit the nail on the head when it comes to different types of relationships and I'm forever grateful for that because not all books are bold enough to show even the dark side of these. Despite all the darkness that's in this book, there are still great things to look forward to.
3. The Characters
The characters in this book have some of the strongest developments I've read so far. I'm not gonna lie, though, part of what made this a 4-star rating is because I didn't exactly get the kind of development I was looking for, but it was amazing nonetheless. The story hit me full-force because of how well the characters were written, and how heartbreaking each of their stories were. I must admit, not all characters' stories were really focused on but with what little we know, we are already able to shape the character into who they are.
4. The Overall Experience
Listen, I cried, and I cried hard but not during what I think most people cried for. I started tearing up when However, I didn't cry when things really went downhill because I was in too much shock and that's another reason for the 4-star rating; I was expecting myself to be on the floor sobbing for the rest of my life, but it just didn't punch me in the face the way I expected it to. Overall, though, I felt all that I needed to feel (minus the punch in the face) and I absolutely would read this again just to feel everything again because I love pain.
UPDATE:
Now that I have gathered my thoughts and have somewhat moved on from this book, I can finally give a proper review.
So let's talk about the specifics of A Little Life:
1. The Story
Reading this over Christmas was probably the worst decision I made in my little life. Ha! Get it? Anyway, there were parts that were too heavy to digest but they were the right amount of angst I needed to really get the feel of just how dark life really is. The overall story of this book got me thinking about how cruel people can be and how desperate others are to escape that cruelty. The trigger warnings helped a lot in preparing me for this, but I still wasn't prepared for just how nasty some parts were. I say nasty because
Spoiler
the scenes where Jude was being abused were just downright inhuman. To say I'm sorry for Jude is an understatement. I can't even begin to express my emotions toward the mistreatment he went through at the hands of different people.2. The Relationships
Don't even get me started about how important this topic is in the entire book. A Little Life is heavily centered on relationships, as it is the same for each character's story. The relationships within this book were so well-thought-of and it encompasses each mistake, each misunderstanding, and each imperfection into one book. There are so many topics that really hit the nail on the head when it comes to different types of relationships and I'm forever grateful for that because not all books are bold enough to show even the dark side of these.
Spoiler
The love between Jude and Willem, specifically, broke my heart and built it back up again. They were both so fit for each other yet they still had so many challenges and that's the truth about relationships that we can never get rid of.3. The Characters
The characters in this book have some of the strongest developments I've read so far. I'm not gonna lie, though, part of what made this a 4-star rating is because I didn't exactly get the kind of development I was looking for, but it was amazing nonetheless. The story hit me full-force because of how well the characters were written, and how heartbreaking each of their stories were. I must admit, not all characters' stories were really focused on but with what little we know, we are already able to shape the character into who they are.
4. The Overall Experience
Listen, I cried, and I cried hard but not during what I think most people cried for. I started tearing up when