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Book review: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (first published in 2015 by Picador)

Some people are of the opinion that books choose us, and not the other way around. After reading this book I’m starting to wonder whether there is something more to that, if certain books make an appearance at a specific stage of your life.

One thing is for sure, after reading through this epic love story you will feel emotionally purged. You will be reminded of the power of reading and appreciate that a book like this doesn’t come along every day.

The characterisation of four friends (JB, Malcolm, Willem and Jude) is done beautifully and each of them stands out as an individual early on.

While all four characters are detailed in the book, A Little Life follows the story of Jude St. Francis who hasn’t had an easy life by any means.

His life has been riddled by so much hardship and strife that you are only given glimpses at a time in order for it to be more palatable.

While you are taking in stories of abuse, violence and neglect that happened during his younger years, the glimmer of hope and main source of happiness is the lasting relationships that are created later on.

The bonds that are forged early on are put to the test as life gets in the way, and as time goes by your friendships and other important relationships based on love, bravery and sacrifice have a way of defining you.

This was an emotional read that led to a lot of introspection. Even before finishing it, there was a need to take a step back to gather my thoughts and feelings which were so complicated at times that it felt as though this book was actually getting across the true nature of humanity.

A bit of a cliche, but this was an emotional roller coaster which tested your range for feelings from empathy, frustration, sympathy, and anger to the happier, more positive side of the spectrum. Jude is so damaged that even though later in life he is shown so much love, kindness and compassion he can cannot accept that his life is worthwhile.

There is nothing little about A Little Life; it’s an achingly beautiful tale of epic proportions which forces you find meaning in life and appreciate the people in it.

Read more of Tamerin’s reviews on her blog.

Keen on reading this book? Buy your copy now.

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