A review by faxmachinemax
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.75

This is the first 800 page book i have read in a WHILE. A little life is one of those books that stays with you for a long time. The biggest thing i would say is that this book is not for the faint of heart. The graphic descriptions of incredibly triggering topics almost felt as though it was for the shock factor, and at times, seemed completely unnecessary. (Also the complete denial of mental illness?? That was WILD)
Jude is one of characters that genuinely deserves so much better that the reader cant help but love, and the relationships he makes with his friends throughout the story is amazing and feels genuine. 
While i enjoyed this book, this is one of the very few books i will not recommend. Its unnecessarily graphic, and sometimes those are the only scenes that have descriptions. Its almost just a 800 page trauma dump.
Otherwise, its a good book, but not one i will be reading again.  
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