A review by alittlelibrary
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

This is my favorite book, the best I’ve ever read. It made me smile, made me laugh, made me cry my heart out, made me mad. I felt everything. This is why literature exists. Hanya Yanagihara fearlessly explores trauma without dressing it up. She didn’t try to cover it up. She didn’t make a happy ending out of it and this is what makes it so raw and real. It's crucial to have books about recovery and hope, but equally important are those portraying the harsh truth of an impossible recovery. Some people never recover. Someo people stay the same. Sometimes, x does equal x. Jude never healed. He never overcame the worst life had thrown at him, but he was surrounded with love. He never got the happy ending or self-forgiveness he deserved, but Jude was so loved. He got to experience the love he longed for his entire life and even if it didn’t fix him, it mattered. 
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