Inside “A Little Life”

By Salene Herrera Senior Staff Writer

In life, there are moments of extreme happiness, extreme pain, and moments that fall somewhere in between. “A Little Life,” a novel by Hanya Yanagihara, explores all of the ups and downs of life through the friendship of four college classmates who navigate their way through New York City.

“A Little Life” is a novel that I feel many people can read and walk away from having a better understanding of the duality of life. The book focuses on the trauma, dreams, fears, and hardships that these four men face. While you cry for them and all that they go through, you find yourself smiling at their resilience and ability to love and find joy through hard times.

They battle with addiction, insecurity, falling outs, jealousy, traumatic childhoods, and much more. Though this book could feel heavy at times, there is something hopeful about it. Each friend has their own individual struggles and hardships, but they all share a love for one another and that is something that never changes.

I recommend this book, not because it is a story that will make you feel good in the end, but because it shows the harsh realities of healing and trauma, and that life goes on regardless.

As the author writes, “Things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired, and in most cases, you realize that no matter what gets damaged, life rearranges itself to compensate for your loss, sometimes wonderfully.”

“A Little Life” is a heartbreakingly beautiful display of the reality that not all pain can be remedied, and that is natural. It tells the story of a life that may seem unrealistic to many, but a life that is a reality for some. This book tells stories that aren’t told enough, the stories of people who are broken beyond repair but are still very much worthy of love. I recommend this book to anyone looking to reflect on the hardships of life, but also the love and joy.