"A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara

A Little Life is the saddest book I have read in my life. I've watched numerous TikToks of people crying over it and I was curious to know why. I'm an emotional person so I do like reading heavy books, but this was an entirely different level. I feel like you have to be in a good mental state to read it. For me, it was the opposite. I was already depressed, but it was kind of helpful because I thought well at least my life isn't like Jude's. Jude is one of the main characters in A Little Life. The beginning of the novel follows him and his three friends Willem, JB and Malcolm. We learn about their whole lives beginning in college. The author takes us through their struggles and ultimately shows us what true friendship and love is about. 

I wish I could give Jude a hug. I don't want to spoil too much about the novel, but many people already know that this book is a lot to handle because the character Jude goes through so much pain. In my opinion, I think he goes through too much. Too much for anyone to handle. It is brutal, painful, and heartbreaking to learn about his struggles. Thankfully, he does have some good people around him. Whenever I cried over this book it was actually because of the kindness and love that the characters showed each other. I love the portrayal of friendship as the characters go out of their way to stick up and fight for one another. It is beautiful and sad to see how selfless they act. Jude is a very special character. He teaches us that it is important to speak up about our struggles. No one can go through life alone. People need people. Life becomes easier and better because of the people around us. 

Another comment I want to make is that the writing style was beautiful. Even when the names of the characters weren't mentioned, I still knew whose POV I was reading from. I thought it was interesting how you could still distinguish between the many narrators. That is how well you get to know them. 

I think another important thing this book taught me is to treat everyone with kindness. You never know what someone is going through. You might not even be able to imagine. So be kind always.