He has severe problems with self-worth and sees his role in life as smaller than that of his friends. The title also refers to Jude’s perspective on his own life.I don’t think I’ve ever experienced so much happiness and sadness (much more sadness) reading a book. Naturally, it’s a roller coaster of extreme highs and lows. You follow these characters for about thirty years of their lives. The title has, as far as I can tell, three meanings: It’s also worth talking about the title, as it kept darting through my mind for days after I had finished the book. (You can find a full list of trigger warnings here.) Stay away from this book if you’re feeling emotionally unstable. There’s a lot of abuse, trauma, and violence. It gives you enough time and space to get to know the characters in depth.Īt the same time, this book is Heavy. (You might want to get the e-book if you’re going on vacation with it.) But personally, I liked the length because it lets you breathe.

Counting almost 800 pages, it’s a brick in your backpack. And yes, I mean that in every sense possible. It also means that the highs and lows of the plot are extreme (and sometimes unrealistic) for the sake of character development.Īnd third, this is a heavy book. I might as well pick up the book 50 years from now and have the same reading experience. I liked that because it makes the novel timeless. Instead, we’re guided through time with recurring events like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays. Although the novel plays in NYC, 9/11 never happens. Most notably, there are no historical elements of time. Second, A Little Life is a hybrid between a contemporary novel and a fairy tale.

The author’s idea was to write a book where the characters get continually worse. It introduces characters, makes you care deeply about them, and disassembles them like fine clockwork.

defies the odds and is successful, and finally.You see, most stories follow the same old pattern of five reproducible steps: What You Should Know About ‘A Little Life’įirst, this is an unconventional storyline. The trauma from his childhood haunts his every move in adulthood and condemns his life in more ways than he could have ever imagined. And he has a complicated, horrifying past. There’s witty, short-fused JB, a painter trying to make a name for himself in the art scene.Īnd then there’s Jude - the actual main character of this book. We have talented architect Malcolm, who feels stuck at a prominent firm. There’s charming, good-looking Willem, an aspiring actor. The book follows four friends after college navigating through the tempests of life in New York City. What You Should Know About ‘A Little Life’.

A little life description