Book Review - A LIttle Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Title: A Little Life
Author: Hanya Yanagihara
Genre: Fiction/ Contemporary
Published: 2023
 
Description: When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity.
 
Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and price. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome – but that will define his life forever.
 
Review: “A Little Life” tells the story of four friends who met in college and spend their lives together in New York City. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity.
 
The story focuses mainly on the life of one of these friends, Jude, who carries with him a traumatic past and as a result not only struggles with himself but also with the relationships with others. The book discusses various themes such as friendship, trauma and love. In addition, “A Little Life” beautifully depicts the complexity of human emotions.
 
The book is both heartbreaking and beautiful, the characters feel real and their stories touch you to the depth of your soul. It’s very well-written, with an almost poetic use of language and wonderful sense of detail.
 
Be prepared that this book deals with very heavy topics of child abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, self-harm and suicide. It’s a very sad book and it got me emotional on several occasions.
 
Author Hanya Yanagihara uses an authorial narrator, who alternately zooms in on the various characters, giving you as a reader a deeper understanding of their thoughts and emotions. This makes for a memorable reading experience. Only downside is that it’s really long and slow paced, which I felt at some parts of the story.
 
This book is very emotional, but so beautiful. I understand why so many people love it and why it’s on so many favorites-lists.
 
Rating: 4/ 5