Book, A Little Life

A Little Life is one of those novels that tells a human story that you never forget. When four college friends move to New York to find their way into adulthood without a penny in their pocket, they are driven by their friendship and ambition. Willem dreams of the stage, the tough, sharp JB of a life in the visual arts, Malcolm is frustrated in his attempts to build a career in a large architectural firm, and the talented, distant Jude, who has just received his law degree, is the center of the group. The years pass, and their relationship is colored by both success and pride, but also by the most blatant form of abuse and assault. Slowly the story comes together about Jude, who is at once one of New York's most successful lawyers and a broken person. He is haunted by the childhood he has spent his entire life trying to escape, and whose traumas he fears will define him forever. With perfectly formed, almost sumptuous prose, Hanya Yanagihara has created a masterful portrait of heartbreak and a dark insight into the nature of abuse.