A review by wyabook234
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging 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? Yes

4.0

When it comes to A Little Life by Hanya Yangihara, some people called this book a masterpiece, while others have been giving it a reputation as being "trauma porn". While I rated this book to be about four stars, it almost came to three because, at the late beginning, I was considering my thoughts about this book.

The book meanders initially with a simple plot other than snippets of Jude's troubled past at the monastery and the gang's interactions with each other. It was when the book got to the aftermath of a dangerously abusive relationship within the Axiom of Equality that Jude finally finds a semblance of romance and comfort with a romantic partner who is willing to share his life with him. That is when the narrative got me invested in the lives of these New Yorkers, how Jude's coping mechanisms are affecting all of them, and how they bring emotional destruction instead of peace within their relationships. Speaking of trauma, it does give a depressive insight into how trauma can last with a person and pertain them with wrong ideas on how to deal with that trauma when they get older. Even if it feels like the traumatic experiences that happened to Jude throughout the narrative are overdone, it can be argued that they further played up the emotional manipulation. This type of manipulative enticing for the reader's sentiments is one of the accusations that the book is accused of pushing within it's writing, even when the literary execution is well-written and enriched. When looking at these strong male bonds and how they, unfortunately, deteriorate when traversing from young adulthood to late fifties, it will be tough to see how they all disintegrate when you feel like the feelings of love and friendship have dried up by the end. 

A Little Life has issues concerning its pacing, and the inclusion of the more disturbing abusive and medical events makes it feel like they are doing too much with detail in expressing how much a person can take. However, the book can be applauded for showing how a person can be so "broken" by their past and how it can take a toll on other people's emotional states, especially William, who's constantly pushed to his breaking point through the later half of the book. Whether you believe the story itself or Jude is enveloping or scheming to trigger you into tears, it's still a novel that unfolds much effort to let you see the enormity of their anguished lives. 

A Little Life is good but it's not better in my eyes.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings