A Little Life

by Hanya Yanagihara

Rating: 3.75 (2 ratings)

First published 2016

Four college friends—broke and adrift—move to New York, chasing ambition and fortune. But their friendships, tinged by addiction and success, are overshadowed by the enigmatic Jude, scarred by an unspeakable childhood. A haunting story of the families we build and the burdens we carry. As the men's lives intertwine over decades, their devotion to Jude, a brilliant but broken man, becomes both a salvation and a tragic flaw.

Genres: literary-fiction, friendship, contemporary, family-drama

Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: emotional-journey, found-family

Setting: Brooklyn, Brooklyn College, Bronx, Chinatown, Haiti, Lispenard Street, Manhattan, Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York (N.Y.), New York (State), New York City, Queens, SoHo, Upper East Side

832 pages · Paperback · Vintage

Content warnings: abuse, mental-illness, suicide

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