A review by eve_ningsky
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

This was overwhelming yet underwhelming at the same time. Overwhelming in the sense that some of the scenes were so explicit and vivid (and that it did make me cry), and underwhelming in the sense that it felt like Jude's trauma was just there for shock value—trauma p*rn as one would call it. Jude is just not a very realistic product of that kind of intense trauma and it was sort of framed as if his trauma was his only "flaw".

I would've rated this a 2 but it did what it was written for—to make someone cry.

I added 0.75 because of the Axiom of Zero and Axiom of Equality parts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail