A review by jeslis
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Notes:
- Second read of this and it's going in my top favourite books ever now; I flew through this so unbelievably fast and I loved every second of it! (and felt every second of it too wow)
- Favourite part: the exploration of being the partner of someone with mental illness and how that can be difficult and not always the fairytale of "love makes all better". Also Willem and Jude's dynamic in general was my favourite (the good and the bad of it).
- Other favs: Yanagihara's aim to write a character who never gets better and whether narrative tension can still be created (answer: yes it can), Andy as a mode to explore doctor-patient relationships, the insane way that Yanagihara manages to conceptualise and establish each of the four main characters in a way that feels so real in the first part of the book alone.
A note on the gravitational sadness of this book:
- I don't think it's trauma porn tbh; I think Yanagihara had an aim with this book and she executed it so well. The amount of trauma is a lot, yes, and it's ruthless, but I think it was part of the "not all characters get better" thesis of the work AND despite it, she manages to highlight the surreal and beautiful quality of human connection in all its messy forms, and how valuable it is even if it doesn't come with a happy ending. I don't think this book is for most people, and if you don't want to read sad books, then don't. But this book explored so many themes beyond it that make it not just the "tik tok trauma dump" book.
- Additionally, there's something to be said here about how we consume sad stories not only because it's cathartic, but because there's something beautiful in sadness. This may feel uncomfortable for us as readers, even voyeuristic at times, but I still think there's worth in the act of consuming and sharing sad stories. If for nothing else than the idea that completely banning books for being "too traumatising" is rather suggestive of censorship of literature to me.
- Second read of this and it's going in my top favourite books ever now; I flew through this so unbelievably fast and I loved every second of it! (and felt every second of it too wow)
- Favourite part: the exploration of being the partner of someone with mental illness and how that can be difficult and not always the fairytale of "love makes all better". Also Willem and Jude's dynamic in general was my favourite (the good and the bad of it).
- Other favs: Yanagihara's aim to write a character who never gets better and whether narrative tension can still be created (answer: yes it can), Andy as a mode to explore doctor-patient relationships, the insane way that Yanagihara manages to conceptualise and establish each of the four main characters in a way that feels so real in the first part of the book alone.
A note on the gravitational sadness of this book:
- I don't think it's trauma porn tbh; I think Yanagihara had an aim with this book and she executed it so well. The amount of trauma is a lot, yes, and it's ruthless, but I think it was part of the "not all characters get better" thesis of the work AND despite it, she manages to highlight the surreal and beautiful quality of human connection in all its messy forms, and how valuable it is even if it doesn't come with a happy ending. I don't think this book is for most people, and if you don't want to read sad books, then don't. But this book explored so many themes beyond it that make it not just the "tik tok trauma dump" book.
- Additionally, there's something to be said here about how we consume sad stories not only because it's cathartic, but because there's something beautiful in sadness. This may feel uncomfortable for us as readers, even voyeuristic at times, but I still think there's worth in the act of consuming and sharing sad stories. If for nothing else than the idea that completely banning books for being "too traumatising" is rather suggestive of censorship of literature to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Pedophilia, Rape, Physical abuse, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, and Eating disorder