A Little Life
By: Hanya Yanagihara
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 815
Published: January 26, 2016 (1st Published March 10, 2015)
Publisher: Vintage
Dates Read: July 18, 2025 - August 31, 2025
Format: Paperback

Trigger Warnings: sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, grooming, rape of a minor, self harm, drug use, addiction, themes of suicide, death

Follow the lives of four men, Jude, Willem, JB, and Malcolm, from the time they met in College, to 50+ as they grow into adults and each battle their own struggles and demons.

Oh my goodness – I think this took me so long to read because of just how SAD and PAINFUL it was. Seriously, when people ask me about this book, I have simply been telling them – it’s a lot. It does not usually take me a month and a half to read a book, even if it is 800 pages.

The writing in this is a little slow, but it’s slow so that you really understand the characters and the reasoning behind their actions. It wasn’t a book that I could read a few pages here and there and be okay with, this was a better read when I was able to carve out 2+ hours at a time to get submerged in it.

Jude was who everyone circled around, but he was also the one who struggled the most. I would get so upset with his actions (or lack thereof), but then I would remember his life experiences and the heat of anger would sizzle. I just wanted to both scream at him to get better but to also wrap him in a bear hug so nothing else could touch him.
Overall, I am not sure who I would recommend it to. Sometimes, you want a book that will wreck you – and this is it. But I would still give it a fair warning that it’s a lot and for readers to take care of themselves when reading it.