A Little Life

By: Hanya Yanagihara

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 32 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's Summary

In 2015, the Audible Editors named A Little Life Best Fiction Audiobook, and it is one of our Audible Essentials. The transcendent story follows four college friends who move to New York City, buoyed by ambition: Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, an artist; Malcolm, an architect; and, at the center, Jude, a withdrawn, brilliant attorney haunted by an unspeakable past. Through decades of shared and separate lives, Jude’s suffering - and its impact on those who love him - raises questions about the limits of human endurance, the possibility for redemption, and the meaning of friendship.

Audible Studios recognized A Little Life's potential as a truly remarkable listening experience from the moment we read the manuscript. We fought to produce it ourselves, so we could cast a narrator whose powerful performance mirrors the endurance of Yanagihara's broken, beloved characters. Even Oliver Wyman's resilience starts to crack at the end, making A Little Life feel thoroughly alive - and anything but small. 

©2015 Hanya Yanagihara (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

I had to call in SAD to work

Any additional comments?

I was probably a quarter of the way into the novel before I texted my book buddy: "It's called A Little Life and you have to read it right this minute. I don't even understand why it's so unbearable and so beautiful." By the time I had a quarter of the novel left, I was walking around Walgreen's, to buy makeup to repair my cry-face, and sobbing.

This is not just a manipulative tearjerker. This is a genuine falling in love and mourning for and with the characters. I don't know if I am more in love with Jude or Willem--or perhaps with the love they have for each other.

This novel unfurls with a steady, patient, pace as the characters grow and change and, ostensibly, grow up. The depth of it is rather like John Irving, but without the width of the (often pointless) subplots. The author's widening and narrowing focus, however, is incomparable; I've not ever experienced the controlled examination of character, then whole world/context/relationship/effect. I'm not sure it's even nameable. Maybe something like Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, with the individual interpretations of self within the shared travesty.

A word about St. Jude. He sprang, fully formed, from Yanagihara's head--armed with his razor and armor of silence, and just as surely the child of an eater-of-innocence and Wisdom itself. The reader becomes as protective of Jude as everyone else, and when he is called "crazy" or "sick," you have to know it's true, but everything in you objects, even while you hope for his healing, or his willingness to heal.

In the living (beyond the merely reading) of this novel, I had to constantly construct and reconstruct my understanding of Jude, of Willem, my reactions, and therefore myself. In the end, I had to update my definition of love, of romantic love, of friendship, of parenthood, of selfishness/selflessness, and the meaning of one little life. This is the reason one reads, and the reason one writes.

365 people found this helpful

Brutal, But Beautiful

I read an article in which the author compared the experience of writing this book to a "fever dream" - and that's actually similar to how I felt while reading it. Yanagihara's prose is so beautifully written, her characters so well-drawn, that I would go hours absorbed in her work, experiencing that heady feeling that only great fiction can induce. Yes, there are dark passages; scenes that will break your heart and make you angry. But there are also moments in this book that made me think deeply about the nature of friendship and love, forgiveness and recovery, and what it means to actually share your life - your past, your pain, your aspirations, your joy - with those you love. And while there's a brutality to A Little Life - a raw quality that often left me feeling as exposed as its characters - there was something in Yanagihara's writing that was wondrous; something that made me appreciate my own little life.

281 people found this helpful

Waaaaaay too long for what it is

The performance of this novel was really good. I suspect I would have lost track more often of who the narrator was of each segment otherwise.

The subject matter is depressing and, while I am not a believer in always needing a happy ending, it's actually as hard to believe when it all goes so very badly for every character in the book!!

There is way to much time detailing recipes, too much graphic depiction of ways death can occur, too much inaccurate medical information, too many one dimensional characters. These are mostly caricatures. And yet once drawn in I had to finish it. But I had to take big gaps to process the sadness.

I would heartily recommend that anybody who has ever struggled with depression or suicidal thoughts give this book a very wide berth. I read it as part of a book club and two members found it too much to continue reading.

16 people found this helpful

What an emotional novel!

This novel is the most gut-wrenching, emotion draining and heart breaking book I have ever listened to! These characters came to life for me! All I can say is this what is not a light read and be prepared to listen to this all day and all night. Bravo, Bravo!!

29 people found this helpful

Heartbreakingly beautiful

Any additional comments?

I have listened to hundreds of books from Audible, but never felt compelled to write a review. This book moved me to tears several times and parts of it will stay with me forever. Beautifully written, beautifully narrated. Now I need a comedy!

113 people found this helpful

Buyer beware: a five-star book with a big red flag

There are very, very few books that can be compared to this one. First, it is brilliantly written. It's smooth. It's a new take on an old subject. The author's talent is obvious. All of that is clear in any review you'll read. Second, the narration is absolutely perfect for the book and its characters. No question it gets a 5-star rating across the board. It's breathtaking, actually. And horrific beyond anything I can imagine.

The subject matter in this book - beyond the love and friendship, of course - is brutal. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to shake the mental images. In spite of the 32 hours I spent with this book in my ear, listening every chance I could get, I cannot recommend it. Please read what you can (without spoilers) about this book and make your own determination. You won't be disappointed with the quality of the writing or the narration. It's up to you if you can handle the topics.

329 people found this helpful

Four Stars But No Recommendation

The only reading experience I can compare to reading A Little Life is when I read American Psycho many years ago. I hated everything about that book. The characters, the plot, the structure, the narrative ... everything. Yet, I was compelled to keep reading until the end. I had to put it down every 30 minutes or so, wash my hands, and get my mind off of it But I finished the book. I had no choice. Regardless of the how I normally felt about the subject matter, something in Easton's writing compelled me forward with a very reluctant fascination. His craftsmanship made reading the unreadable not just bearable, but necessary. And since then I have compared many books and many authors to Easton and this particular book and most have come up short.

A Little Life was every bit as compelling and as difficult to read. I disliked the plot and while I also disliked many of the characters, my dislike stemmed from different reasons. The book was 700 pages of mind-numbing depression with very few moments of light. The subject matter was somewhat similar to American Psycho - the debasement of others - but told from a far more sympathetic perspective, the victim's, rather than the perpetrator's. And my dislike of the characters wasn't because they were at their core unlikeable - it was because most of them were too good, too likable. It felt like the author was sometimes counterbalancing the over the top violence visited on Judd with over the top "too good to be true" friends and supporters. Very few people in life would have the patience and perseverance to deal with Judd for 4 years, much less almost 40. Pity and compassion only go so far. At some point, to protect your own psyche you have to step away from the despair. And as he often admitted, Judd was a terrible friend. He never shared his past with others, never offered explanations for his obvious problems and strangeness and never allowed others to truly see him. Willem, who started out as a very interesting person, eventually becomes a saint, and no one is as boring as a saint. J.B. who was the least saintly of the characters was still too nice to be a foil against the other characters' saccharine.. Nor was it logical to assume that someone with as many mental and physical health problems, who was so dysfunctional in so many ways could have risen as high as he rose in his career. The buildup to the true climax of the book, or at least the point of no-return was done well and took me by surprise, but I had an issue with the end of the book. Judd broke his promise, a promise he evidently took quite seriously, based on the amount of time it was discussed in the book. Then he broke it and there was no explanation about how he came around to breaking it.

Yet the author wrote in such a compelling fashion I had to keep reading. Her wide base of knowledge about so many subjects was fascinating. Her prose was often lyrical and she skillfully made the unpalatable, palatable. At least palatable enough that you were willing to stomach it in order to get through the book. Her dialog, other than the endless apologies, was witty and sharp. The portrait she painted of the art world, New York City and so many other beautiful locales was lyrical. And the way she jumped over large chunks of time, then periodically went back and revisited small moments in those blank spaces could have been distracting, but it seemed to fit the characters well and it was easy to follow.

So my four stars are attributable to a a writer so talented she makes the reader willing to devote a large chunk of time to a story they would prefer not to hear. I would like to see her turn that talent on a story less maudlin and depressing. I can't really recommend this book however, no matter how skillful the author. If you do decide to read it, go into it with your eyes open. Do not expect to be entertained.

I listened to this, and the narrator, Oliver Wyman did a fantastic job.

258 people found this helpful

Show a little life

If you could sum up A Little Life in three words, what would they be?

Sad, Angry, Brutal

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Harold because he does his best to help our struggling protagonist.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favorite?

This narrator did an excellent job. Five stars all the way around for over 32 hours of perfect narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Anyone is going to react to this book. It is sad. It is brutal. But, the writing is excellent and the narration is excellent. There is something about the way in which Yanagihara tells a story, even a devastating one, that keeps the listener fully engaged. Also, the narrator of this work, Oliver Wyman, adds to the experience with pitch perfect narration.

Any additional comments?

This is the most difficult book I've ever had to review. Despite everything, I have to rate it 5 stars. The subject matter is brutal. The story is most definitely depressing, but it is also beautiful in some way that I cannot explain.

I would not suggest this novel to anyone who is in need of an uplifting read. This novel is sad, and it will make you sad. I would only suggest A Little Life to those who are in the mood for and able to endure a sad, brutal, yet beautiful novel.

26 people found this helpful

An Incredible Work of Literary Fiction

Any additional comments?

If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that my co-workers, friends, and family are getting tired of me raving about A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. And now when I have free range to unabashedly praise this incredible work of fiction, I feel as if I am at a loss of words. So I’ll just say this: A Little Life is a masterpiece. It’s a deeply-moving, emotionally-unsettling, yet occasionally uplifting saga of friendship and love spanning 50 years. Yanagihara took me into some of the darkest places in fiction I have been, and left me thinking about her characters long after the story ended.

87 people found this helpful

I can't believe I just put myself through this.

What did you like best about A Little Life? What did you like least?

Yanagihara is an extraordinarily gifted writer and because of that I'm left wondering how I came out the other side of this brutal thing with such negative feelings for the story, for Jude, and for my own callousness. How could I have possibly lost all sympathy and understanding for a character who has endured over thirty Audible hours of unspeakable sadness, misery and horrors? At some point early on, prior to the big reveal, I completely disconnected from Jude emotionally and then I spent the remainder of the book just waiting for it to end.

Would you recommend A Little Life to your friends? Why or why not?

If I could separate the writing from the story, I would recommend this book.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favorite?

I am wondering if perhaps the Audible performance is part of my conflict with this book. I physically cringed at every "I'm sorry" (and there were so many...) and I felt completely exhausted while listening. Was that just a result of the excessively heavy story line? Was there something in the tone of the read that left me feeling that way? Was it a combination? I'm not entirely sure.

Was A Little Life worth the listening time?

Truly conflicted on this.

105 people found this helpful