These four intend to be friends for life, and the book intends each of them to be very, very successful in his chosen field some day. B., already an ambitious artist Willem, a good-looking waiter and Jude, a mesmerizing wounded bird whom the others can’t figure out. They are Malcolm, who still lives with his rich parents J. “A Little Life” initially looks like the story of four college friends who have come to New York from their Massachusetts school and are managing to lead hermetically sealed lives together. And it is now a shortlisted contender for the Man Booker Prize, which will be awarded on Oct. A potboiler about very intense male friendship, it’s a sui generis phenomenon that became a runaway hit. It’s a big, emotional, trauma-packed read with a voluptuous prose style that wavers between the exquisite and the overdone. But ultimately, whether you love it or you hate it, A Little Life will not leave you feeling indifferent.Hanya Yanagihara’s “A Little Life,” published in March, turned out to be one of the most talked-about novels of the summer. Whether you choose to read it comes down to whether you feel comfortable going down the path you know you will venture down. In a perverse and twisted way, there is a sense of comfort as you see someone else descend into the same distress as you when you first read the novel.Ī Little Life is not for everyone – if anything, it is a book I am hesitant to recommend because of its disturbing and graphic material. It is impactful to the point where there is a trend where you film yourself reading A Little Life. Paired with her outstanding writing, A Little Life will mercilessly gnaw you, swallow you, and spit you out a different person. Yanagihara explores topics few authors dare venture into, including graphic self-harm, sexual abuse, and violence – all of which are described in grotesque detail. Perhaps, this is what makes it so captivating. There are few books this length that leave you wanting more.īut ultimately, whether you love it or you hate it, A Little Life will not leave you feeling indifferentĪ Little Life is dark, and its seemingly never-ending list of trigger warnings serves testament to this. And because A Little Life stands at a mammoth 700 pages, it becomes the perfect playground for Yanagihara to fully explore each character. While the novel’s premise may sound simplistic, generic even, where the novel shines is in its brilliant cast of characters, each of which feels more akin to a real person than to a fictional character. The result is a maelstrom of feelings, emotions, and horrific revelations. From that moment on, each terrible piece of the puzzle begins to fall into place. Jude reveals he struggles with severe self-harm, and hints at having been sexually abused during his childhood. The turning point of the novel occurs around page 70. There are few books this length that leave you wanting more Having been good friends in college, the novel follows the characters as they navigate the ups and downs of independent life – blissfully unaware of what is to come. Finally, there is Jude – the painfully enigmatic force that glues them all together. JB is a witty but short-tempered painter entering the Brooklyn art scene. Willem, on the other hand, is a handsome and charismatic aspiring actor. Malcolm is a frustrated architect – he hails from a wealthy family who are unsupportive of his career. Set in New York over the span of forty years, A Little Life follows a group of friends – Malcolm, JB, Willem, and Jude – who move to a run-down apartment in Chinatown, New York to pursue different careers. What many fail to see is what A Little Life truly is – a misinterpreted masterpiece. While these statements have an echo of truth to them, to reduce A Little Life to this is simplistic, offensive even. These have all been said to me to describe Hanya Yanagihara’s infamous 2015 novel, A Little Life. “If someone’s favourite book is A Little Life, I see that as a huge red flag”. “You’ll only enjoy this if you’re depressed”. TW: mentions of self-harm, sexual abuse, child abuse, violence.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |