We Have to Talk About A Little Life.

 We have to talk about A Little Life. Even nine years after its release, this novel is all over BookTok and Bookstagram. It was nominated for the Booker. It is critically acclaimed. Everyone is reading it. And as someone who loves this novel with all my heart, I don't think that's necessarily a good thing.

As you can guess from the summary, this book deals with very dark themes - and Jude is not the only one of the four friends who has emotional baggage. Reviews have repeatedly labelled this book as t*rt*re p**n because of this. So why do I love A Little Life? This novel is one of the most impressive works of fiction I have ever read. I have never seen an author do what Hanya Yanagihara did.

What this book gives to you in terms of emotion, character development, and storytelling is incredible. Throughout these 700+ pages, you learn the most intricate, private details of the characters' lives and psyches. By the end of it all, they have become so tangible that they feel like real people. Yanagihara juggles several storylines, time spans, and points of view to make it look easy. Her eye is unflinching. The way she describes awful, harrowing scenes is brutal, with an uncompromising eye for detail. And this is what I appreciate about her writing - it leaves no room for the romanticisation of mental illness.

HOWEVER! This is where the trouble starts. 

This book is excessive. She herself said so in several interviews. It goes to the extremes whenever it can. This, combined with its graphic, excessive language, makes it difficult to stomach. It should be. Some themes should not be easily digestible. Some things should shock you out of your mind and force you to look at them.

But besides all this, A Little Life is not a book exclusively about suffering. The heart of the story is the friendship between the four friends. These scenes are incredibly tender and so beautiful to rad.

But now onto what I mentioned at the beginning. I don’t think everyone should read this book. I watched a reading with Yanagihara where a trauma survivor said she has never felt more seen by a piece of literature. Conversely, I read a YouTube comment of somebody saying they psychologically relapsed after reading it. The opinions on this book are so contrary, and it boils down to what kind of person you are and the kinds of books you like to read.

I frequently read literature that deals with dark themes, but if you are a person who barely ever reads something like this, then this book will be a lot.

Please do not let FOMO pressure you into reading a book that might not be right for you right now. I think that is an inherent problem with online book communities. Some books are so hyped that their constant praise and reviews give users who have not read them a feeling that they are 'missing out' on something. That they should be reading this. That this book is revolutionary. That might all be the case, and I think I agree that A Little Life is an extraordinary novel, but I am very hesitant about outright recommending it. Especially people who do not usually read heavy things like this might pick it up and find it impacting their mental health. I think we need to be much more mindful of the way we hype books like this, Some books are no easy reads, and that's okay. Other examples that come to mind are American Psycho and Lolita. Both deal with very heavy themes, both might impact someone's mental health. In short...

 Just because everyone is talking about it, you don’t have to read it right now. It’s not going anywhere, it’ll wait for you as long as you want it to. Take your time, and only pick it up if you feel ready. And if you don’t think it is for you at all, don’t ever, ever force yourself to read it just so you have read it.

That’s it! Thank you so much for reading, everyone <3.