A review by jude_rose
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

0.0

I read this book almost as a favor to my friend, I genuinely thought I'd like it because I tend to like triggering books (I'm a gluten for punishment) This book goes through the life of four friends from their 20s to their 50s, the main character Jude has childhood trauma that dictates his life. This book is suppose to be about friendship and growth (I guess??) This book was just obnoxious. The characters weren't likable, and all have the author's voice. The author tells more than shows and will ramble on for 50 pages about the same thing yet give us nothing about long awaited events such as

when Jude and Willem finally get together, and then when Willem dies

I really hated this book. I genuinely don't even want to give it a review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

There's probably more triggers than I could mention.