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| pc: Instagram / @cait_malilay_reads |
Will I ever, again in my life, fall in love with another book as much as "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara?
Shortlisted for the 2015 Booker Prize, this whopping 816-page-long novel tells the story of four friends who meet in college, develop their own identities and face life's obstacles and milestones that come with adulthood.
Readers will meet
Willem, the charming actor;
Malcolm, the creative architect;
JB, the cocky struggling artist and
Jude, the mysterious lawyer with a dark past.
***TRIGGER WARNING:**
This book contains descriptions of rape, addiction, physical and emotional abuse, self-harm and suicide.
This novel that's loved by many celebrities, such as Dua Lipa, Chris Pine and Dakota Johnson, is about friendship, the effects of trauma, love in all its forms and, of course, life itself.
Friendship...Flawed characters, but beautiful in their own unique way
I don't think that I've ever read a book that illustrates human nature so well as much as "A Little Life."
Told in the third person omniscient perspective —in exception to the occasional switch to the first-person point of view with Harold as the narrator, another character that readers are introduced to later in Jude's life as a law student—, the narrator defends each character's actions by illustrating their thought processes as they face different situations and turbulences.
The characters think and act very rational most of the time throughout the book, especially Willem.
Divided into seven parts, part one, "Lispenard Street," is primarily focused on introducing them to the readers, describing how the boys communicate with each other, how they perceive one another and how they perceive themselves.
It dives into each of their background, including their social class, race and personality traits.
This is in exception to Jude, whose background is not only hidden from his friends, but concealed from the reader as well.
The narrator only drops pieces of his past every now and then, and as the story unfolds, readers eventually learn why Jude is the way he is: hesitant, cautious, secretive and in pain, not only mentally, but physically.
Yanagihara wants audiences to not only empathize with Jude, but with all the characters and their personal struggles.
I've never gotten so attached to a set of characters as much as I did with this group of friends.
She makes the reader feel like they're actually part of their circle.
As the story unravels, readers will get an inside scoop on how much Jude admires his friends and why.
True friends are those that are there to catch you if you fall.
He's very observant of those around him, he clearly loves them dearly and they echo that back.
This can be observed in the little things they do.
For example, his friends develop this sort of system of how they walk as a group in such a way to ensure that Jude doesn't fall because of his limp due to his condition.
It also goes into depth of conflicts that can arise in a close-knit group.
For instance, when Jude gets into a huge argument with JB, Willem takes Jude's side.
The thing about Malcolm is that he likes to build, hold things together.
His career path mirrors his character, and this is exemplified in how he reacts to the fight in which he doesn't want JB to feel left out.
Out of consideration, he lets Jude know that he still wants to talk and be friends with him and so he asks Jude if he'd be bothered by this.
Jude, of course, doesn't want Malcolm to feel like he has to choose sides, he's not the kind of person to divide.
JB eventually gets jealous because he feels like Willem has drifted from him in a way.
Although likable, the majority of the characters are flat.
The only round character of the four is Jude, who eventually, although hesitantly, learns to trust people and open up.
Yanagihara goes into depth in how traumatic life experiences altered his five senses.
It's a very dark subject matter, but there are so many small and big acts of friendship that will just melt your heart away.
There are many more characters that come as the story unfolds, most of which play a key role in Jude's life.
There's Ana, Brother Luke and Dr. Traylor, the only three key people from Jude's past.
As mentioned before, Harold, his law professor, along with his wife, Julia.
You've got Andy, an orthopedic surgeon, and Jude's doctor and longtime friend.
Then there's Caleb, who Jude develops a relationship with.
There are others that are not listed here, but those mentioned are most important in pushing the story forward.
Here's a bit of advice if you don't want to break down: don't get attached to any of them.
Although, on second thought, that's impossible.
Yanagihara illustrates love in all its forms.
A love for a child,
a love for a friend,
a love for your significant other andself-love...
In one way or another, readers will resonate with at least one of the characters in the story.
I could go on and on and on about how much I love this heart wrenching novel, but I fear I'll give away too much if I continue further.
In other matters...will this makes it to the big screen?
Any book I enjoy is one that I hope to see adapted as a film or television series, but this is definitely one that should be produced with extra care and mind to its original content, especially because of its sensitive material.
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| pc: Pixabay / David Mark |
Ok, clearly they haven't read the whopping 800 plus page novel, which they should have before making these judgements.
This is a prime example of why executives need to put in the energy to actually respect a piece of art as well as the original piece's audiences, that is, the booklovers, and think twice before throwing just anything on the screen.
On the bright side, there have been play adaptations of it in Amsterdam, and soon to be in London's Richmond Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre this March.
The latest adaptation's cast includes "Bridgerton's" Luke Thompson and "Happy Valley's" James Norton.
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