Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

840 reviews

minimimi's review against another edition

Grotesque trauma porn for the hetero author’s gays—goes far beyond the “Kill your gays” troupe. Technically, this book is horrendous and the editor should think twice about their career.
DONT FALL INTO SUNKEN COST FALLACY JUST BECAUSE THE BOOK IS LONG DOESNT MEAN YOUR REDEMPTION OR CATHARSIS IS COMING—because it’s not. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Addiction, Rape, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Mental illness, Homophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Drug use, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Grief, Cursing, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Outing, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse

ibjilln's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

0.25

No. Fuck this book. 
If you're looking to read this, don't. 
It is nothing but gratuitous misery porn. 
It is not a book about friendship - it is a book about enablers and people taking advantage of one another. 
The characters do not grow, or develop, but instead are simple "plot" devices to keep the pages going and they hash out the same problem over and over again. It's hard to feel anything for them when they do nothing to help themselves/their situation. 
It's 700 pages of Jude unwilling to face reality that he's been horribly mistreated by nearly every one in his world, including his "friends", and in turn mistreating those that do care.

Spoiler

Jude could've saved himself, and us, the pain by ending it 700 pages sooner or fucking accepting help and going to therapy

.
Once again, no. Fuck this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Medical trauma, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Vomit, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, and Eating disorder

Dead dove; do not eat

luce98's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

One of the hardest reads I’ve ever completed. So sad and filled with trauma.
The characters are so well fleshed out. I feel like I know them as friends. 
Jude St Francis will stay will me for a very very long time. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Blood, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Death of parent, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Addiction, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Gore, Grief, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

mareikeeve's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical content, Grief, Pedophilia, Violence, Vomit, Chronic illness, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Addiction, Car accident, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, and Child death

danpeachey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Vomit

Moderate: Body shaming, Car accident, Chronic illness, Addiction, Blood, Cursing, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Ableism, Medical content, Outing, Abandonment, and Child death

irishrose7777's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

3.5

The description of the book is totally misleading. I expected a raw (and probably sad) story of friendships through the decades. Instead it’s like 90 pages of establishing friendships (I think Malcom literally got one chapter) and then 800 pages of trying to see how much unrealistic trauma the author could stuff into one character. It honestly got almost humorous with how many bad breaks one character could have in their life. I understand that the author was trying to create a really “tortured soul” type character but honestly it seems like she was just writing for shock value without actually moving the story forward. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Ableism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Vomit, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Gore, Grief, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

kajasversion's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

I don’t think i’ve ever cried this hard over a book in my life. Nothing could’ve ever prepared me for this holy shit. I can’t even give a review, it’s just amazing. So many things this book made me feel and it was definitely an experience (worth it? can’t tell yet). 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Medical content, Rape, Emotional abuse, Child death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Violence, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Vomit, Ableism, and Forced institutionalization

giulianv's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Death, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Sexual violence

ayers03's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

The best book I’ve read in 2023. Beautifully written, heart breaking, & hopeful. A story about the power of friendship,  love, and the family we chose., but beware the trauma of one character is significant and through out the book.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Suicide, Rape, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Self harm, Kidnapping, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, and Panic attacks/disorders

annesophiekeita's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

i will never be able to recover from this

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Death, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Rape, Abandonment, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Eating disorder, Grief, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Vomit

Moderate: Blood