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Book Club 15w
It’s come to my attention that there are people who actually liked A Little Life and I’m so confused as to why. Because the post criticizing it has a lot of downvotes but nobody actually defending the book. So what do y’all actually like about it?
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12
upvote 11 downvote
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Anonymous 15w

They like the trauma p*rn and grotesqueness

upvote 6 downvote
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Anonymous 15w

anyone else cant get into the book? i’ve tried to read a little life so many times (physical, audio) and always got confused or bored

upvote 5 downvote
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Anonymous 14w

From what I recall after reading the book years ago, Yanagihara is gifted at writing prose but ultimately her characters fall flat & events in the book serve no real purpose. People in the Trees has a similar issue (mainly the way she has p*do content in there mainly for the shock factor)

upvote 5 downvote
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Anonymous 15w

I like it bc I fell in love with the characters, especially Jude and Willem if that makes sense. When I finished the book I missed them for days.

upvote 3 downvote
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Anonymous 15w

I’m unfamiliar with the book. Would someone like to explain?

upvote 1 downvote
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Anonymous replying to -> #1 15w

Fr it just sounds like they like to read about queer men suffering

upvote 3 downvote
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Anonymous replying to -> OP 15w

Not even just that. A lot of people like intense abuse in books for the shock factor and sheer vileness, it’s almost like a fetish. Really grosses me out.

upvote 4 downvote
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Anonymous replying to -> #1 15w

I’ve noticed the same thing! It grosses me out too. I’m fine with reading about things like abuse/suffering as long as there’s a clear purpose for it being written and talked about, but A Little Life just feels exploitative

upvote 3 downvote
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Anonymous replying to -> OP 15w

Exactly!

upvote 3 downvote
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Anonymous replying to -> #2 15w

Essentially it’s a book that’s completely just queer trauma/torture porn written by a cis straight woman. It’s about several gay men suffering endlessly throughout their lives in graphic and unnecessary detail. It’s to a point where it’s just homophobic and exploitative. And yet just because it’s written well people rush to defend the book as if the author’s paying them

upvote 7 downvote
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Anonymous replying to -> OP 15w

Oh Ew

upvote 1 downvote
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Anonymous replying to -> #5 14w

I blew through the book in like two days, so there’s something compelling about her writing. I just wish the author had more interest in exploring her characters as people vs archetypes

upvote 4 downvote