Warning: Spoilers
About a year ago I read the novel, “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara and it felt like the longest book I’d ever read. By the time I finished, had grown deeply attached to the characters, and lived through their lives. Although I believe it nearly impossible to fully capture who a person, yet alone four, is in a book, I think Yanagihara got as close as one could get, especially with the character Jude. The story follows four friends from college as they navigate friendship, romance, and the trauma of their past. This novel depicts very dark and intense moments as they struggle with abuse and mental health struggles-causing much controversy.
Shortly after I finished the book, I recommended it to a friend and waited for their review. They didn’t enjoy it and saw its themes as “too dark,” disliking how the author “did not allow” the character Jude to get better. He felt that Jude’s suicide at the end of the book was unnecessary and made it seem that people with depression and childhood trauma would not be able to recover, since it seemed like a nearly impossible feat for Jude. Although the events were very triggering and understandably could be very difficult to read through, I believe it showed a very important message.
However, I must first give a warning. If a person is not in the right state of mind to read a book like “A Little Life” they should refrain until they think they are ready. If you feel like this story could worsen your mental state, it will most likely be very difficult to see the messages of this book since it can be a challenge to not focus on the very detailed depictions of the characters’ trauma. I continue:
I believe it important that there are books that depict pain. There are so many people with struggles that are rare to see in the pages of the book, and just because a story does not have a “happy ending” does not mean that something cannot be gained from it. Just because Jude lost his battle does not mean that every person in his place will, and sometimes the gritty details are exactly what is needed in order for the reader to truly understand the suffering of the character. The writing didn’t just glaze over his past, or vaguely mention it. It dove into his worst experiences, providing explanation for why Jude struggles the way he does and is cautious and reserved when he meets someone new. It also provides a better understanding into his addiction with self harm. The novel makes it clear that since his childhood, Jude has relied on harming in order to cope with abuse. This is no new concept and is sadly the reality for many people.
Jude refuses to talk about his past with his close friends, even his boyfriend Willhem, and the reader is the only one who knows about it. As the reader we see how Jude continually tries to get clean for other people, but struggles with this since he doesn’t want to get better for himself. This is ultimately one of the things that leads to his death, since he feels that he cannot or will not live for himself. The reality is that many people’s lives end like Jude. Not every person who struggles is going to find a saving grace or be able to improve. This can serve as a peak into the mind of someone who thinks like this, and help us better understand how to help people with depression. Sometimes society needs to hear the painful moments, even if they are taboo or hard to hear in order to understand how to improve. I believe that censoring the trauma in this book is to hide an essential part of the character’s life.
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