A Little Life

5/5 Stars

(As far as I know, this is now an Own Voices work but I cannot confirm that. I do have mixed feelings about the content/representation).

Four friends meet in college and are bound together for the rest of their lives. Each struggle with their own histories and traumas, but Jude’s is the most mysterious past. As the decades pass and the men grow older, their relationships evolve, but they remain dedicated to supporting Jude survive a world that inflicted unspeakable horrors upon him.

I began reading A Little Life after looking at the content warnings and had a very good idea of the story beforehand. I am glad I went into this book with spoilers because I would have needed to take many more breaks from reading if not. This was a haunting and tragic read, but I am glad that the most graphic parts were a small percentage of the book. They were raw and descriptive and made me uncomfortable. They made me witness Jude’s trauma and provide a thorough backstory of why he felt so much shame.

I felt so much for Jude. I often forgot how much he was aging throughout the books because I wanted to comfort him as I would a child. It was heartbreaking seeing his lifelong struggle and attempts to be a “normal” person. Without spoiling, I appreciate how the book ended. There was not a lot of details and it was a sad acceptance of reality.

I loved how the chapters were split up. This was not written chronologically. I could read how Jude interacted with the world and then be given a flashback of why he behaved in certain ways. Harold’s chapters were almost the most heartbreaking. The first-person narrative really immersed me into the story and let me feel the love for Jude that everyone had.

I could not put this down. I feel odd for saying I loved it because this is such a harrowing story. And yet, I truly loved the friendships and relationships depicted throughout. I wanted a happy ending for everyone, but as life shows us, that is not always possible. This made me feel so many things. Would I recommend it to someone? I’m not sure. I liked the way I read it –with spoilers. I think I’d recommend others to do the same so they are fully aware of the content they are about to consume. As dark as this could be, it truly was an epic story of trauma, resilience, and love.