I have to write an essay on this book for one of my classes, and after examining a lot of the online discourse I find this take to be incredibly balanced, well-put together, and thoughtful. I agree with nearly all of your points, and I feel it is a very complex novel that is meant to bear the raw experience of a character who is navigating a world Hanya crafted to extend and examine his pain in search of meaning. It is deeply uncomfortable and extreme, including many very sensitive topics that I understand people might have complaints about its depiction of, however you are very correct that it feeds into a sense of morbid curiosity in the reader. I feel that this has been misconstrued in some readers who describe it as ‘glorified fanfiction,’ and though the line can be blurry between respectful and glorified, I think it does describes or combines (debatably to an extreme extent) a lot of unspoken reality that does exist and that there is much to learn from, and shouldn’t be disregarded. The internet has almost over-explored shallowly or romanticized many topics (e.g. self-harm, sexual trauma, rape) which leads those acquainted with that depiction to assume any depiction in fictional media as feeding into that same shallow depiction instead of any true meaning. I don’t think Hanya depicted everything flawlessly, but I think how many people have reduced it to shallowness instead of a complex and flawed exploration of trauma is causing them to miss the point. There are still so many discussions and fantastic moments within the book that I find very meaningful, and in my takeaway the most important relationship in the book by far was the found father-son bond with Harold and Jude. Within their experiences and support for one another, I think the most meaningful conclusions can be found. Regardless, thank you for dedicating time to put out your opinions on this book, I really appreciate it.
Thank you for actually properly talking about this book!! The whole ‘trauma challenge’ it became on booktok was good for publicity I guess but awful for real in depth discussions about its content. Really great video
I got like 100 pages into the book and I just did not have the mental strength to finish that book but you already know imma watch an hour long video on it ‼️‼️‼️
No, honestly people weren’t lying when they warned you should only read this book when you’re in a good place mentally with your life, because I wasn’t when I read it and it just destroyed me 😢
Still watching the video, but I wanted to add: I read the book back when it had first released. Like you said, the cover and title drew me in quickly; even though I had no idea what I was walking into. Genuinely, the book (without the hype) does keep you intrigued--especially because you don't actually know what's going to happen. I did get bored and a bit confused with all the career focused stuff in the beginning, but there are enough hints that more is on the way. At first, it was a book I read if I were bored, but once it gets into Jude's backstory I was glued and "in love". This book means a lot to me for personal reasons, and your critique and thoughts really do align with my own. So, I think it's safe to say that even without the hype everything you've said would still be quite relevant.
The book is a bit of a dark fantasy and for this reason I really detest it. It was like a girl torturing her Ken dolls. No matter how profound certain moments of the book are the only real deeper meaning I could find is the fact that the reader by the end of it has become a sort of pervert or abuser in their own right. The author too in a way, there''s a brilliant UA-camr called 'man caring thing' that explores this idea. The idea that an author is an all powerful god when they write and depending on how long an author spends with a character, no matter how cruel a design they have for them, some empathy for their protagonist must develop the longer they spend with them. Given the length of 'a little life' Yanagihara evidently spent a great deal of time with Jude, it's also evident she didn't develop even a morsel of empathy for him either. There's a sadism to what she put Jude through, there is no silver lining or at the very least sense of irony to buttress the ridiculous aspects of this novel. When I read the part in which the doctor ran over him with his car I burst out laughing and violently, ballistically in fact, threw the book across the room and told Yanagihara to 'FUCK OFF!'...... On a different note, and I might be wrong here, but it seems wholly unrealistic to me that a protagonist with this level of trauma and no real security net throughout life, especially at a young age, could become a high powered MANHATTAN lawyer?? I didn't buy it. I could not take the book seriously, and yet , despite this I did feel a strong connection to Jude and felt sorry that this man was born into a world in which it's God had such a nasty design for him. She turned him into the Gill Gunderson of sexual assault. As mentioned in the video the book relies on a lazy mystery box to keep the reader invested and I have a suspicion that many people are more forgiving to novels for these types of hacks than they would be for say a TV show or movie because the reader, by nature, has to invest a considerable amount of time getting through the prose. When you spend that much time on something you'd almost convince yourself it is good. Having not read for a while I think this gentleman was taken in by the novel reading experience and the intense emotion connection that comes with that. Judging by his other reviews I don't think he would be so forgiving of say 'a little life' the mini-series, but I'm assuming. I don't think this book deserves the overly emotional breakdowns from the people who disliked it, neither does it deserve any rewards. All it deserves is a rewrite and a ruthless edit. Great video and channel edit: didn't finish the video when I wrote this comment lol :) also remember when he forgot to call his friends to pick him up so instead he gets raped by EVERY SINGLE TRUCK DRIVER HE COMES ACROSS??? This woman has to be a bit sheltered, every single truck driver is a child rapist?? Come off it Hanya
interesting take on the book. I've got good news. God is good because He gives His blessings to everyone, good or bad. but everyone has at least, told a lie, or stolen something in their life. and that makes them sinners, and God cannot stand one iota of sin in His presence, because He is holy. so God has to punish the sinners in hell, because God is just. but God is also love and He made a way for some to be saved from His wrath. here are the steps: 1. admit that you're a sinner and are lost. 2. realize that the penalty of sin is death (hell). 3. believe that Jesus (who is God in the flesh) died on the cross, was buried, then rose from the grave, to pay the penalty for man's past, present, and future sins. 4. trust Christ alone as your Savior, and not on your own good deeds to get you to heaven (nor a combination of faith and your self-righteous works). 5. pray to God NOW that you're following these steps because if you die before making this decision, it's too late.
I have to write an essay on this book for one of my classes, and after examining a lot of the online discourse I find this take to be incredibly balanced, well-put together, and thoughtful. I agree with nearly all of your points, and I feel it is a very complex novel that is meant to bear the raw experience of a character who is navigating a world Hanya crafted to extend and examine his pain in search of meaning. It is deeply uncomfortable and extreme, including many very sensitive topics that I understand people might have complaints about its depiction of, however you are very correct that it feeds into a sense of morbid curiosity in the reader. I feel that this has been misconstrued in some readers who describe it as ‘glorified fanfiction,’ and though the line can be blurry between respectful and glorified, I think it does describes or combines (debatably to an extreme extent) a lot of unspoken reality that does exist and that there is much to learn from, and shouldn’t be disregarded. The internet has almost over-explored shallowly or romanticized many topics (e.g. self-harm, sexual trauma, rape) which leads those acquainted with that depiction to assume any depiction in fictional media as feeding into that same shallow depiction instead of any true meaning. I don’t think Hanya depicted everything flawlessly, but I think how many people have reduced it to shallowness instead of a complex and flawed exploration of trauma is causing them to miss the point. There are still so many discussions and fantastic moments within the book that I find very meaningful, and in my takeaway the most important relationship in the book by far was the found father-son bond with Harold and Jude. Within their experiences and support for one another, I think the most meaningful conclusions can be found. Regardless, thank you for dedicating time to put out your opinions on this book, I really appreciate it.
Thank you for actually properly talking about this book!! The whole ‘trauma challenge’ it became on booktok was good for publicity I guess but awful for real in depth discussions about its content. Really great video
Thank you so much ❤️ I totally agree!!!
I got like 100 pages into the book and I just did not have the mental strength to finish that book but you already know imma watch an hour long video on it ‼️‼️‼️
Thank you so much! Lmk what you think!
No, honestly people weren’t lying when they warned you should only read this book when you’re in a good place mentally with your life, because I wasn’t when I read it and it just destroyed me 😢
Still watching the video, but I wanted to add: I read the book back when it had first released. Like you said, the cover and title drew me in quickly; even though I had no idea what I was walking into. Genuinely, the book (without the hype) does keep you intrigued--especially because you don't actually know what's going to happen. I did get bored and a bit confused with all the career focused stuff in the beginning, but there are enough hints that more is on the way. At first, it was a book I read if I were bored, but once it gets into Jude's backstory I was glued and "in love". This book means a lot to me for personal reasons, and your critique and thoughts really do align with my own. So, I think it's safe to say that even without the hype everything you've said would still be quite relevant.
Thank you so much for your input and for watching!
Actually good to hear your reading journey! Glad the book means a lot to you!
Where do I find the movie/play? I really want to see it because I loved the book
The book is a bit of a dark fantasy and for this reason I really detest it. It was like a girl torturing her Ken dolls. No matter how profound certain moments of the book are the only real deeper meaning I could find is the fact that the reader by the end of it has become a sort of pervert or abuser in their own right. The author too in a way, there''s a brilliant UA-camr called 'man caring thing' that explores this idea. The idea that an author is an all powerful god when they write and depending on how long an author spends with a character, no matter how cruel a design they have for them, some empathy for their protagonist must develop the longer they spend with them. Given the length of 'a little life' Yanagihara evidently spent a great deal of time with Jude, it's also evident she didn't develop even a morsel of empathy for him either.
There's a sadism to what she put Jude through, there is no silver lining or at the very least sense of irony to buttress the ridiculous aspects of this novel. When I read the part in which the doctor ran over him with his car I burst out laughing and violently, ballistically in fact, threw the book across the room and told Yanagihara to 'FUCK OFF!'......
On a different note, and I might be wrong here, but it seems wholly unrealistic to me that a protagonist with this level of trauma and no real security net throughout life, especially at a young age, could become a high powered MANHATTAN lawyer?? I didn't buy it. I could not take the book seriously, and yet , despite this I did feel a strong connection to Jude and felt sorry that this man was born into a world in which it's God had such a nasty design for him. She turned him into the Gill Gunderson of sexual assault.
As mentioned in the video the book relies on a lazy mystery box to keep the reader invested and I have a suspicion that many people are more forgiving to novels for these types of hacks than they would be for say a TV show or movie because the reader, by nature, has to invest a considerable amount of time getting through the prose. When you spend that much time on something you'd almost convince yourself it is good. Having not read for a while I think this gentleman was taken in by the novel reading experience and the intense emotion connection that comes with that. Judging by his other reviews I don't think he would be so forgiving of say 'a little life' the mini-series, but I'm assuming.
I don't think this book deserves the overly emotional breakdowns from the people who disliked it, neither does it deserve any rewards. All it deserves is a rewrite and a ruthless edit.
Great video and channel
edit: didn't finish the video when I wrote this comment lol :)
also remember when he forgot to call his friends to pick him up so instead he gets raped by EVERY SINGLE TRUCK DRIVER HE COMES ACROSS??? This woman has to be a bit sheltered, every single truck driver is a child rapist?? Come off it Hanya
interesting take on the book. I've got good news. God is good because He gives His blessings to everyone, good or bad. but everyone has at least, told a lie, or stolen something in their life. and that makes them sinners, and God cannot stand one iota of sin in His presence, because He is holy. so God has to punish the sinners in hell, because God is just. but God is also love and He made a way for some to be saved from His wrath. here are the steps:
1. admit that you're a sinner and are lost.
2. realize that the penalty of sin is death (hell).
3. believe that Jesus (who is God in the flesh) died on the cross, was buried, then rose from the grave, to pay the penalty for man's past, present, and future sins.
4. trust Christ alone as your Savior, and not on your own good deeds to get you to heaven (nor a combination of faith and your self-righteous works).
5. pray to God NOW that you're following these steps because if you die before making this decision, it's too late.
I'd say you're fun at parties
I kinda dont want to though :/