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allonsythornraxx 's review for:
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
14/12/2020
4⭐
"What he knew, he knew from books, and books lied, they made things prettier."
I don't know what to say. This book was so well written and the characters so well developed that it's a hard book to fault. But, when it comes down to it, I didn't enjoy reading this book. I feel accomplished now that I've finished it like I've achieved something big in the reading world and my life. But this really was a miserable experience for me, though I'm thinking the constant rain and storms around me didn't help. I had to have a day off from reading this somewhere in the middle to distance myself from the book and the characters because reading it was leaving me in a foul mood.
All in all, I'm glad but not glad to have read this. I thought that by reading this book I could invite myself into the conversation but now that I've finished it I don't think that I'll ever want to talk about it again. I read this and it was a hard road to travel and it's not a journey I will ever recommend to anyone. This was an incredibly well-carved, intricately thought out and detailed book that takes you through the span of a young man's life and the traumas he experiences, but please know that this book does not romanticise trauma and pain, Hanya Yanagihara is incredibly honest and graphic and never shies away from the terrors of Jude's experiences or the repercussions of those experiences. Yes, this is a well-crafted book, but it won't be stomachable for everyone and it shouldn't be. It's a horrifically hard book to get through so, please look up trigger warnings before starting this juggernaut and use caution. Stay safe.
TW: *on page and often graphic*
physical abuse, domestic abuse, mental abuse, beatings, self harm (graphic, on-page, past), sexual abuse (on page, fade to black, past, present), child abuse, prejudice against the disabled, gaslighting, drug use, grief, kidnapping, whipping, being set on fire, car crash, intentionally running someone over with a car, rape (past, present, fade to black and alluded to in flashbacks), death (past, present), suicide (multiple attempts - on and off-page & discussed in detail)
*let me know if I missed any triggers and I'll update my list
Blog | Letterboxd | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter
4⭐
"What he knew, he knew from books, and books lied, they made things prettier."
I don't know what to say. This book was so well written and the characters so well developed that it's a hard book to fault. But, when it comes down to it, I didn't enjoy reading this book. I feel accomplished now that I've finished it like I've achieved something big in the reading world and my life. But this really was a miserable experience for me, though I'm thinking the constant rain and storms around me didn't help. I had to have a day off from reading this somewhere in the middle to distance myself from the book and the characters because reading it was leaving me in a foul mood.
All in all, I'm glad but not glad to have read this. I thought that by reading this book I could invite myself into the conversation but now that I've finished it I don't think that I'll ever want to talk about it again. I read this and it was a hard road to travel and it's not a journey I will ever recommend to anyone. This was an incredibly well-carved, intricately thought out and detailed book that takes you through the span of a young man's life and the traumas he experiences, but please know that this book does not romanticise trauma and pain, Hanya Yanagihara is incredibly honest and graphic and never shies away from the terrors of Jude's experiences or the repercussions of those experiences. Yes, this is a well-crafted book, but it won't be stomachable for everyone and it shouldn't be. It's a horrifically hard book to get through so, please look up trigger warnings before starting this juggernaut and use caution. Stay safe.
TW: *on page and often graphic*
physical abuse, domestic abuse, mental abuse, beatings, self harm (graphic, on-page, past), sexual abuse (on page, fade to black, past, present), child abuse, prejudice against the disabled, gaslighting, drug use, grief, kidnapping, whipping, being set on fire, car crash, intentionally running someone over with a car, rape (past, present, fade to black and alluded to in flashbacks), death (past, present), suicide (multiple attempts - on and off-page & discussed in detail)
*let me know if I missed any triggers and I'll update my list
Blog | Letterboxd | Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Kidnapping