Book Review: A Little Life

Book Name: A Little Life
Author: Hanya Yanagihara

Publisher: Picador

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Format: Paperback

Print length: 752 pages 

Rating:4/5

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is a contemporary fiction novel that explores serious themes like mental trauma, abuse, unimaginable suffering along with love and friendship.

Blurb

It is an immensely powerful and heartbreaking novel of brotherly love and the limits of human endurance. When four graduates 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cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their centre of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. 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 for ever.

Review

A Little Life is a character-driven novel that follows the lives of four college friends Jude, Willen, Malcolm, and JB as they navigate through career, profession, relationship and the complexities of adulthood.

"But really, both of them knew why they kept attending these parties: because they had become one of the few opportunities the four of them had to be together, and at times, they seemed to be their only opportunity to create memories the four of them could share, keeping their friendship alive by dropping bundles of kindling onto a barely smoldering black smudge of fire. It was their way of pretending everything was the same."

This thought expresses how adulthood and their lives were walking in different directions and their struggle to stay in touch with each other.

The story begins at The Lispenard Street and ends at The Lispenard Street, but what comes in the middle is terrific to imagine. So, readers with weak hearts will suffer while reading through this book. But readers who can take up themes like mental trauma, abuse, harassment, suffering, and physical torture will experience the immersive and devastating exploration of Jude's suffering from his childhood.

There are numerous side characters in the story, but the author's writing style will introduce readers to them in a way that they will stay with them till the end. The overall character development is well-crafted. Each character portrays raw emotions and the power of human connection.

Jude's inner turmoil and his being the central character represented how his life was impacting the lives of his family and friends. He was a man of resolution who would do anything to protect others while punishing himself when he was not even guilty because he felt so. Having faced trauma since childhood, it was set in his head that he did not deserve excellence in life.

Harold, who adopted Jude, represented a determined father who could go to any length to protect his child. He knew when to step back and when to take charge when it came to his son's privacy and health, respectively.

Jude's friends Willem, Malcolm, JB, and his doctor Andy were guardian angels in his life. Every character in this story will remain unforgettable for readers of their distinct personalities, flaws, and aspirations.

The author's writing style is deeply moving and thought-provoking. Though the pacing and the length of the book could shake readers, her way of bringing in the real picture of trauma, suffering, and harassment would frighten the readers. Not at any single point, the author is shy in masterfully conveying the characters' inner lives, their unspoken emotions, and the weight of their experiences. The descriptions of New York City and its various living spaces add another layer of richness to the narrative.

Readers would love this literary piece for the depth of themes explored beyond trauma, friendship, and abuse, including chronic pain, self-loathing, self-worth, disability, search for meaning in life, and a sense of belonging.

The book can be overwhelming for many readers because of its main focus on the suffering Jude went through all his life at different phases of his life in the cruelest way possible. It will make them cry, and even they will end up not finishing it because of all the pain that comes with it.

For me, I read this book with a resolution to not leave in between and I wanted to know the way the author crafted this story. After finishing this book, I wonder how painful would it have been for the author to write this book with suffering in different forms all across the length of the book. It is more than just a story — it becomes an unforgettable experience for anyone who has lived through something similar, especially those who have seen life take its worst turn.

It is a book that will stay with you long after you turn the final page, evoking contemplation on the complexities of trauma, the nature of empathy, and the fragility of the human spirit.

Buy it from Amazon - A Little Life