Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2015
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is an immensely powerful and heartbreaking novel of brotherly love and the limits of human endurance.
When four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their centre of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realise, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he'll not only be unable to overcome - but that will define his life forever.
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When I first picked up this book I had no idea what it was about, but wow Im glad I did. It follows a group of friends from the beginning of their lives towards the end. Its a powerful read and very confronting but its a must for your tbr list. - Bill (QBD)
Guest, 12/05/2023
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Yanagihara's tale of four college graduates who are bonded by friendship as they try to find their way in New York, will grip you until the very end.
A Little Life is compelling, heart-warming and heart-breaking all at the same time, and the characters, their lives and their relationships will stay with you long after you have had to leave them behind. - Joanne (QBD)
Guest, 18/05/2019
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A story of friendship, love and the haunting spectre of a childhood gone terribly wrong, A Little Life follows the story of four college friends as they make their way through the world. With age comes success, but also addiction, pride and the lingering grip of unresolved trauma. Equally poignant and heartbreaking, A Little Life has stayed with me long after I closed the final page - Jack (QBD)
Guest, 20/01/2019
A Little Life
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2015, Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life is a captivating emotional epic that promises to revolutionise the perspective of the reader. Spanning decades while following the lives of four unique characters, Yanagihara masterfully weaves a story of love, despair and the impact of our past. A powerful novel full of authenticity and insight, A Little Life is ideal for anyone in search of a deeply intelligent and emotionally challenging read. Its sentiment will linger within you long after your emergence from its spellbinding grasp. - Sam
Marion, 10/05/2016
