A Little Life – Hanya Yanagihara

100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: Jude, Willem, JB and Malcolm form a close bond in college that continues through the many seasons of adulthood. While Jude is the emotional center of the group, he finds it difficult to share with others the terrible abuses he suffered as a child and teen. His adopted parents, physician and friends refuse to give up on him and spend decades trying to help him realize he deserves love, compassion and support.  

Expectation: An exploration of male friendship.

Reality: It completely defies all descriptions and expectations. You will either love it or you will hate it.    

Recommended For: Everyone. Seriously, everyone should try reading this story.

Why I Read It: My friend talked about it for years, and then she gifted me a copy.

My take:

I’m so sorry, but I don’t know where to begin, so let’s start with some facts.

Fact: I’ve spent the past two weeks utterly consumed by this novel in a way that hasn’t happened since I read the entire Harry Potter series in six months.

Fact: I’ve cried more, both happy and sad tears, the past few days than I probably have in my entire adult life.

Fact: My sleep schedule was destroyed as I tossed and turned at night analyzing what I read earlier in the day, which speaks to the power of Hanya Yanagihara’s writing.

Fact: My dear friend who gifted me the novel, was absolutely correct when she said I’ll remember this story forever.

Fact: This isn’t the best book I’ve ever read, but it is probably my favorite, and the one I will always recommend to others first.

It feels morbid to assign that honor to a novel that includes many passages of vivid and horrendous physical and sexual abuse against one of the main characters, Jude, much of which occurred when he was a child and teenager.

While these passages are incredibly difficult to read, they are necessary to fully understand the depths with which he is unable to reconcile his past with his present. So while I think everyone should read “A Little Life,” it should come with a disclaimer.

But, this is not a story about abuse.

It's about love, friendship and fidelity, and that is why it bored into my heart.

Maybe it's because at this stage in life, I've seen my own friends struggle through illnesses and hardships — both mental and physical — and I've toed the delicate line of support without judgement for decisions made.

So the moral of the story — you cannot fix people but love them anyway — resonates so deeply.

I could go on and on about the characters, and what I loved and found challenging in the story — again, it’s not perfect — but I’d rather everyone experience this “Life” for themselves and then meet me for coffee (or drinks if you end up an emotional mess like I did) to discuss.

Epilogue:

The review you read was written after finishing the novel. Now a year after living with the memories of these characters, I think about every single one of them often and still choke up when thoughts drift to Jude, and the ways his friends and family tried to make him feel loved.

I have never been so impacted by a piece of art.

For months I have tried to analyze why there was an almost primal, emotional reaction to the text. I’ve talked to others that have read it, including my husband who also had a similar experience, and none of us can explain it.

There is so much about the story that is unrelatable, yet you can see yourself and people you know within the pages. You laugh, cry and mourn as if they are people you have met in real life.

Some say the Harry Potter series helped them become a better person, but “A Little Life” has done that to me. I try to be more empathetic, patient and slower to react, because in Jude I saw firsthand that you can never begin to understand the depths of someone’s self-doubt or pain. So be kind, always.

I would love to read “A Little Life” again one day, but for now, I cannot muster the courage. Until that day, I will tell everyone I know that they must try to read this book. It’s simply life changing.

Rating (story): 5/5 stars

Rating (narration): 5/5 stars

Format: Audiobook (SIL’s library); also paperback gifted for personal library

Dates read: July 8 – July 20, 2019

Multi-tasking: Somewhat. You only want to complete activities that allow you to concentrate.