A review by sinnabookz
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.75

Part of me wants to give this 0 because of certain things that felt unnecessary and overkill in terms of the trauma and "bad things" we have described to us. In the end though the reading experience was something I rarely experience, where I am wholly immersed, feeling what the characters feel, being sad, crying, getting angry and even nauseous at times. This book isn't something to pick up lightly just as a fun read it is traumatising an scarring and a small part of me wishes I could unread certain parts. In the end  though it's the books that are profound in their ability to make me feel, whether that be feeling devastated or giddy with joy I will always respect and appreciate a book written well enough to make me feel things on the level that I did. It isn't a 5 cause 1% of me says 0 and hated it cause of certain things I felt were not needed but the other 99% says oh my god 5 that was amazing I felt so many things the writing was incredible and the characters were so real, so fleshed out and the choice of making time go by through major life events really just sealed it for me it added this extra focus on he characters in a way I've never seen an author use a different form of time going by to shine more light on the fact that this is a character driven book. Overall I say read the trigger warnings, read reviews, watching reading vlogs, go in informed and not completely blind cause it is triggering.  
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