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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
This is a heartbreaking book about a man dealing with the legacy of an appalling abusive childhood. The grim flashbacks to his youth are counterbalanced by the love and friendship he experiences in his relationships with a group of people he meets in college.
I found the prose to be beautifully written which made this an effortless read, despite the often distressing subject matter. It reminded me very much of Donna Tartt’s writing. (It’s a hefty 700+ pages for a start. If you’re someone who thought The Goldfinch needed a substantial edit then this probably won’t be the book for you!)
It could have been an unrelentingly bleak book but the warmth and support Jude receives from his friends throughout his life left me feeling heartened, mostly. If I had any criticism it would be that the people Jude encounters in his life are either wholly evil or thoroughly decent and I'm not sure that's true of most people generally, which is why the character I most believed in would probably be Jude’s friend, JB. He is shown to be flawed and sometimes weak and because of this he often has a difficult relationship with Jude.
It’s not a book for the fainthearted but it’s an engrossing read. I loved that it was set in New York too. I really felt as if I was there at times.
On to something more lighthearted for my next book I hope.