A Little Life: A review

Book: A Little Life

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Author: Hanya Yanagihara

Genre: Literary Fiction

Publisher: Doubleday

TW: Self-harm, rape, abuse

This is not a book, it is an 800 page long ruthless drive through trauma, hopelessness that is destined to leave you wrecked. You might find yourself at the loss of words and in the abundance of tears, grieving for a life you wish no one lives.

Set in New York, A Little Life follows the life of four friends Malcolm, JB, Jude, and Willem, from college days till their middle age. All four of them have very assorted interests but are closely knit in this friendship. Despite the multitude of characters, the book focuses on Jude who is a lawyer and has some unexplained ailments and an extremely shady past.

I have mostly seen polarised opinions on this piece of work, but I disagree with any such view. I strongly believe that celebrating trauma shouldn’t be the purpose here, the purpose should be able to look at the fleeting moments of happiness that have been portrayed in the bonds various characters have throughout the book, whilst abhorring their realities.

The male relationships portrayed, be it romantic, friendly, or abusive have been splendidly bought out by Hanya’s beautiful style of enunciation. The length of the book makes sure that you find a home in each character, sidelining no one. The lead character Jude will instantaneously find a soft spot in your heart, and everything that happens to him thereafter will break you as much it breaks him. The book also reflects on the topics of trauma, disability, self-harm, and support on numerous occasions.

One thing that absolutely stood out for me was the relationship between Harold and Jude and how rare and remarkable it was. (To say anything more on the same would be a spoiler)

My suggestion to you would be to go for this book if you think you’re at a point in your life where you can handle such harsh realities and can follow your individual journey through the book. If you decide to read it someday, you will surely be awed by the poetic writing style of the author that serves as a silver lining.