Hi there harmony hustlers,
Welcome to the cozy corner of my blog! Here, I share my love for reading through book reviews. Since I write a lot about self-care, I thought it's only fair to share my own self-care habits. I've always been a bookworm, but life's hectic pace often left little room for indulging in my favorite pastime. Recently, I’ve made it a priority to focus on my passion for reading, a skill I had to learn through balancing life's demands. I’m excited to share my thoughts on the stories I've been immersing myself in. You’ll find snippets of what I’m reading and my recommendations on which books to pick up (or skip). Plus, I’ll offer reading tips, must-have bookish accessories, and top apps—all to enhance your reading experience and help you get the most out of every book.
To kick start this section of the blog, the first book we will be diving into is, ‘A Little Life’ by Hanya Hanagihara.
How did I come across A Little Life?
I first came across ‘A Little Life’ on social media. There was a viral voiceover doing its rounds which went something along the lines of ‘Why would you write this book?” whilst the speaker bawls her eyes out. Call me a little unhinged, but I was intrigued.
I started reading reviews of the book- all of which talked about how traumatic and disturbing this book was. One reviewer said despite 6 months having passed, she was still thinking about the book and it had affected her sleep. Whilst this should warn off any potential readers, I was instead drawn further in.
I spent a few weeks pondering over whether I should in fact read the book or whether I should give it a miss since I didn’t think I had the mental capacity to deal with something which would cause me to feel ‘depressed’ as per the opinions of many reviewers.
The problem I found with the reviews was that none of the reviewers really explained what the book was about other than describing it as traumatic. It was therefore very difficult to understand what I’d be getting myself into from a plot perspective.
Fast forward a few weeks, this book came up in conversation with a friend, and we decided to take it on as a buddy read so that we could give each other moral support. This was a wise choice!
What is the book about?
Where do I even begin with this masterpiece?
The narrative unfolds with Jude, the central figure, surrounded by his triad of intimate friends, Malcolm, JB and Willam. His professor Harold and his doctor Andy, also play key roles within the story.
A little life is very much character driven and it does not stick to a particular plot. The book predominantly examines Jude’s journey, as a disabled man having suffered from many traumatic childhood experiences. It dives deep into his worldview and his attitude towards his self worth. As the storyline progresses, we get flashbacks of Jude’s younger years which slowly start to unravel why he is the person he is today.
My thought’s on A Little Life
This masterpiece left me with a loss for words. I am not convinced that I can adequately convey the profound impact it has left on my literary sensibilities. I am, however , going to attempt to do so (otherwise what’s the point of writing this review!).
For the most part, I did listen to the audiobook and I have to say, the narrator was exceptional. I think alot of people struggled to get into the book since it’s heavy on the detail from the outset, and so I think listening to the audiobook really helped break that initial content down. Once I got into the story, I started reading the paperback so that I could take in the details at my own pace and so that I could annotate my favourite parts.
I confess that whenever I read a book, I don’t always recall the intricacies of each story. Infact the moment that someone asks me what I’m reading I forget the name of the book, the author and the entire plot! Tell me I’m not the only one who is like this?
For this book however it was different. I felt as though I was reading a real life story and I was thoroughly invested in every second of it.
“Sometimes he wakes so far from himself that he can’t even remember who he is. “Where am I?” he asks, desperate, and then, “Who am I? Who am I?” And then he hears, so close to his ear that it is as if the voice is originating inside his own head, Willem’s whispered incantation. “You’re Jude St. Francis. You are my oldest, dearest friend. You’re the son of Harold Stein and Julia Altman. You’re the friend of Malcolm Irvine, of Jean-Baptiste Marion, of Richard Goldfarb, of Andy Contractor, of Lucien Voigt, of Citizen van Straaten, of Rhodes Arrowsmith, of Elijah Kozma, of Phaedra de los Santos, of the Henry Youngs. “You’re a New Yorker. You live in SoHo. You volunteer for an arts organization; you volunteer for a food kitchen. “You’re a swimmer. You’re a baker. You’re a cook. You’re a reader. You have a beautiful voice, though you never sing anymore. You’re an excellent pianist. You’re an art collector. You write me lovely messages when I’m away. You’re patient. You’re generous. You’re the best listener I know. You’re the smartest person I know, in every way. You’re the bravest person I know, in every way. “You’re a lawyer. You’re the chair of the litigation department at Rosen Pritchard and Klein. You love your job; you work hard at it. “You’re a mathematician. You’re a logician. You’ve tried to teach me, again and again. “You were treated horribly. You came out on the other end. You were always you.” ― Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life
The book is a very detailed account of Jude’s life spanning over a number of decades.
Prior to being given the context behind Jude’s behaviour I found some of Jude’s behaviour frustrating, and in fact after knowing his reasons, I still found it frustrating at times. The first sense of frustration came from not knowing why he behaved the way he did, which made very little sense, and the second sense of frustration came from just wanting him to be true to himself and for him to allow himself room to be loved.
I did however undeniably grow to love Jude and the people in his life, especially Harold. Harold was introduced as Jude’s law professor, and as someone with a legal background, I loved reading and listening to Harold’s discussions about law. From the moment that Harold was first introduced, I loved his character. I do have to commend Hanya Yanagihara for her ability to write characters which felt so real. The characters are so well written that whilst reading I completely forgot that I was reading fiction!
“You see, Jude, in life, sometimes nice things happen to good people. You don’t need to worry—they don’t happen as often as they should. But when they do, it’s up to the good people to just say ‘thank you,’ and move on, and maybe consider that the person who’s doing the nice thing gets a bang out of it as well, and really isn’t in the mood to hear all the reasons that the person for whom he’s done the nice thing doesn’t think he deserves it or isn’t worthy of it.”
― Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life
As the story continued, Harold and Jude developed a very close bond, and for a brief moment Jude’s trust issues (which Hanya so masterfully illustrated) managed to seep into my mind as a reader and I questioned whether Harold could be trusted.
I was however, deeply relieved for Jude (and myself as a reader!) that Harold was a good person. He was hands down my favourite character in the book. It was hard not to feel this way about Harold when he showed a deep admiration and love for Jude, along with a desire to protect Jude at all costs.
“Harold sighs. “Jude,” he says, “there’s not an expiration date on needing help, or needing people. You don’t get to a certain age and it stops.”
― Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life
A character I wasn’t too fond of however was JB. His entire personality grated on me. I found him to be self-absorbed and absent of any real empathy.
Was the storyline soul destroying and traumatic? Yes it was! Would I read the book knowing this? Yes! Whilst many have expressed their concerns about the triggers in this book (please read the trigger warnings), and have argued that this is simply ‘trauma for the sake of trauma’, I disagree.
I think that sometimes in life, some people are dealt a really bad hand and they spend their entire lives living through this experience.
And what I think Hanya Yanagihara did really well is that she emphasised pain so much and so well, that instances of joy became magnified. Although fleeting, the moments of happiness hit harder. You really feel pulled into the story, and it becomes difficult to distinguish between reality and fiction.
I have never read a book that has stayed with me in the way that this book has. I read it (and part listened to it on audiobook) in summer 2023, yet it still comes up in every book discussion that I have. I also went and watched the play after I read the book- that however deserves it’s own review (Spoiler: I will not argue with people who say that the Play was trauma for the sake of trauma. It sure felt that way!).
While the themes of this book explore harrowing terrains of sexual assault, child abuse, suicide, self harm and much more, the eloquence with which the narrative has been put together by Hanya is truly exceptional and worthy of praise.
My rating of A Little Life
Hanya Yanagihara’s ability as a wordsmith cannot be overstated. Without reservation, I give this magnum opus a rating of 10 out of 5 as a testament to its unparalleled impact on my literary consciousness.
(P.s Read A Little Life at your own discretion)