A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Some books require a commitment. "A Little Life," ringing in at about 700 pages is one of them. Despite its length, the book is a smooth read. You eventually become very involved. You start to care, especially about the main character, Jude. And because you care when the punches to the gut come, they are intensely powerful. At times, I had to put the book down, bend over and take deep breaths: this book brought me to my knees. It takes you outside of yourself. You get no softball breaks here. Your eyelids will be held open to the excruciating detail, the unbearable sorrow. How could a human being endure it? You know about some who did just that. They "endured," they "survived." Somehow.

"A Little Life" goes on my list of books that I will never emotionally forget; a standout because most of the others were non-fiction.

I prefer NF but going to check this book out based on your review and in line with other reviews I've read on goodreads. Perfect timing to take a break from reading about politics too.

wonderful read - totally agree its heart wrenching to read, the character development is superb- it took me two tries to get into it but once i did i was hooked (although i had to put it down at times to "breathe" ).

last book i read that had a equal level of character dev was prayer for owen meaney almost 20 years ago !!