A review by susannedeheer
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I lived with this “little” life for some months, just as i read here more often, this story was part of my everyday life. The characters were so real, so well written, that it felt like i became one of them. At the same time was the writing always with some distance, the few moments in first person made this clear to me.
A Little Life asks the question what stories are meant for. And it is a good story, but the moment it crosses some line is the moment the story loses its essence or goal. For me ( and i think for almost everyone) it is the too much trauma for one persons life. A turned around deus ex machina who comes out of nowhere. And of course life can be cruel and uncertain, but can we just believe or pretend to believe when we’re reading stories?
I’m sad to leave them behind, but it feels finished, rounded and so i can actually move on. Their whole lives are on paper (even though it felt like they never get older, and still stay 20-something. So i will definitely read it when i’m older to see what the difference is)
I finished it just in time for the play by ITA. Very curious how they bring this cruel and beautiful life to the stage. It almost feels impossible, unreachable to bring these stories to life. The book is able to keep it at some distance, but i’m sure the realness on stage will bring some new heaviness to it.
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