Not everyone’s a huge bookworm, I get that (actually, I don’t really get it, but I respect it). Life can get pretty hectic and it can be hard to find the time to sit down and read a book when putting on some old episodes of The Office is quicker and more convenient. Even if cuddling up with a good book isn’t your first choice for a leisurely activity, there’s no denying how satisfying it is to experience a vibrant story jump out of plain text as the anticipation drives you to turn the page. A good book incites emotions you didn’t even know you had within you. But I get that you don’t want to waste your precious time trying to find a book that will do all that; that’s where I come in. If you’re going to limit your life to only one book, I have the perfect one.
I discovered this book while on a trip in Nova Scotia when I passed by a small local bookstore in Luxembourg, and you know I just had to go in. The woman at the counter asked if I was looking for anything specific, and I asked her to recommend me her favourite book. Visibly excited at the chance to share her love of reading with a total stranger, she asked me if I had ever read A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Upon shaking my head no, she ran over to the shelf and handed me a copy of it, saying, “This book will change your life.” At the time, I didn’t know how right she was.
Let’s begin with a quick summary: Malcolm, JB, Willem, and Jude have known each other since freshman year of college, and the novel follows their friendship as they live in New York City. Despite their incredibly varying personalities, they find themselves sticking together through thick and thin. Malcolm is the son of a wealthy family and has a passion for architecture. JB is a shining example of a struggling artist, finding inspirations for his painting within his friendships. Willem is an aspiring actor, doing what most aspiring actors do in New York: working as a waiter. Finally there is Jude, a bashful lawyer who carries the legacy of an incredibly traumatic childhood. The story centres around Willem and Jude’s (mainly Jude’s) escalating relationship from their college years all the way to their fifties.
I do need to include a fair warning about this novel, as almost every single trigger warning can be applied. It includes incredibly graphic content detailing physical, emotional, and sexual abuse (inflicted upon both children and adults), self-harm, suicide, drug abuse, severe depression, and PTSD. I have always considered myself to have a strong stomach when it came to difficult topics, but even I had to occasionally put the book down to take a breather and digest what I was reading. If you cannot handle any of the subjects mentioned above, I would advise you to approach this book with caution, or perhaps (unfortunately) even avoid it altogether.
I fell in love with the majority of the characters, even beyond the main four. They were written to be very distinguishable and noteworthy, and even further, the relationships that were formed between all of them were enviable. The highs of this book are heart fluttering, and the lows of this book (and when I say lows, I mean depths of hell low) are heartbreaking, yet my favourite aspect is how grounded in mediocrity it is. The author makes a point of at least mentioning the most mundane aspects of life and relationships, and yet she doesn’t spend precious word count boring the reader. Romance has never been my genre, and even in books that don’t fit in that category, like this one, I tend to gloss over any sort of romance within its pages. But Yanagihara manages to write about something stronger and less tangible than love. She’s grasped at a concept so far out of the box that there isn’t a word in the English language that I can think of to properly describe it. It’s something that’s experienced rather than explained.
I would recommend this book to everyone who can get their hands on it, yet also warn them to proceed with caution since it covers some jaw-droppingly horrendous topics. It’s well balanced out by the joys one might find in everyday life, yet the very description of someone hurting themselves or being hurt by others could make someone pretty queasy. I was somewhat doubtful when the store clerk told me this book would change my life, but I’m delighted to be proven wrong. I’ll never forget Jude and Willem as I navigate my life; Jude when my mind is trying to convince me that I don’t belong, and Willem whenever someone I love reels me back into reality.