Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Een klein leven by Hanya Yanagihara

436 reviews

ghostpuppy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I hate this book and i love this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

oliviacharlene's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

toochmarone's review against another edition

I read 500 pages of this, and am just tired of the torture. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

ktinaisabel's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction

clangenskiold's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

In one word: heartbreaking.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

sahnve's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

froggie022's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

peachy_gene's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I don't know what to say about this beyond what's already been said. This book ruined my life and offered a very helpful perspective on things in my own life. 

 I don't think this book hit me the way it seems to hit for people that don't listen to trauma for 40 hours a week [I'm a trauma therapist].There was nothing shocking about this book, however, the details are unimaginably difficult to read. I don't find Yanagihara's writing really all that beautiful- but this story is also really really ugly so I feel like that's on purpose? A devastating demonstration of love, and a reminder that sometimes love is not enough to make people choose to stay. 

This book [imo] asks readers to have hard conversations with loved ones and reminds us to make sure our loved ones know the role they play in our lives- it shines light on the fact that Even if they know, they may not be able to be that forever.  Sometimes we can't save people, especially from themselves, and especially from what the world has done to them. This book requires empathy and emotional shieldng to get through. 

I see a lot of people saying Jude was enabled and frustrating and I agree. But I do think Yanagihara's depiction of what it's like to never be able to see yourself through the eyes of those who love you is extremely well done . The story depicts how formative our earliest years are  in relation to how we trust, and form connection and this that translates into adult life. This novel is very much trauma a centered, and looks very deeply at the way trauma shapes our worldview, self perception and life outlook especially when we are leg to believe we are non-human undeserving of the healing it takes to seek trust and the company is others, to crave it desperately and have no idea what to do with that once we have obtained it. 

I didn't have any visceral reaction this except for the imagery which was rare. The depictions of abuse, are Even written in a very flat way. The only time I felt anything was when the pov was from Harold, but again- this feels intentional given the subject matter. I think we are perhaps meant to be emotionally disconnected, as Jude has had to be. 

I certainly didn't feel that this is the great gay novel by any means. But it is perhaps, an excellent case study for trauma's influence of the human existence if left untreated for a lifetime. It also lends excellent focus to the challenges when life is constant body horror, Jude's inability to connect with his even when he absolutely needed to, his constant act of rebellion towards the vessel he inhabits as punishment for sins he never committed; the impact of rage that is held within and never expressed.This commentary is something that is deeply felt, but extra so when a reader has a very specific set of traumas. 

It looks at codependency, [lack of] autonomy, illness, what it means to exist in a body when you couldn't consent to being born,  and asks what community is actually responsible for when a person has to be convinced that life really can be with living. This is not a hopeful story. It's sad and I can't ever recommend it to anyone. It never gets better. It has layers that I kept trying to find hope in, with no success. It's nothing but suffering, even happiness glimmers are temporary. I found it truly human at times, while deeply unbelievable at others, but mostly, I found it relatable and for that reason I will be talking about it with my therapist tomorrow. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

jessiemcg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’m really struggling to rate this book. The actual RELIEF I felt when I finally turned the last page and finished reading this. As someone who cry’s at literally everything - this book didn’t make me cry. It was however, so consuming in how it made me feel. Incredibly sad, depressing and altogether draining. A very hard book to read and one I wouldn’t recommend.

Every time I put it down, I didn’t want to pick it up again. On reflection - doesn’t it say something that writing can evoke such a reaction? 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

trayana's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail