A little life, Hanya Yanigihara.

The second book by the author Hanya Yanagihara, was published in 2015. She just released the third one in 2022 with not-so-great reviews.
A fantastic book, absolutely recommendable but NOT for the faint of heart.

Development, trying not to give too many spoilers: the book essentially revolves around the life of Jude St. Francis (a lawyer) and his three lifelong friends: Willem (an actor), JB (a painter), and Malcolm (an architect) in New York.

The central character, Jude, is a person with a tumultuous past, marked by terrible childhood traumas that he has not been able to overcome. In one way or another, the entire book revolves around him and his friends' efforts to help him. Although I found the beginning a bit confusing in terms of who's who (I'm not entirely clear, for example, who is Black and who is White), as often happens when there are many characters introduced all at once, the characters gradually become well-defined. If this happens to you, stick with it.

Childhood traumas with a strong emphasis on sexual abuse, friendship, and homosexuality (to a lesser extent) are the three central themes. Interestingly, it is number one in an interesting Amazon category called "gay fiction." I wouldn't have categorized it that way, although it's evident that gay themes are important, but it doesn't seem to be the central focus of the book by any means.

The book is magnificent, with agile writing and well-crafted prose that isn't overly ornate. It's been a long time since I enjoyed a book this much; I highly recommend it, and I agree with the literary critics who have unanimously praised it. Furthermore, it's been a commercial success with over 1,000,000 copies sold.

Two warnings: it's a very, very tough book. The American author cites Roth as one of her influences, and he is a writer who always stirs something within the reader. If you're someone who enjoys cheerful novels that paint a beautiful and happy world, this isn't the book for you.

It's quite lengthy, with a whopping 1009 pages: so, for those who believe a book should be finished in two days, look for another one.

Like all books, there are a few things that might not sit right. All the characters are extraordinary in their own right as if mediocrity had no place in New York or in their environment. There's no one who isn't on the path to a Nobel Prize or something similar: perhaps a touch of normality in a friend would have made it more believable and given it a more realistic feel.

On the other hand, while it helps to vividly depict Jude's personality, there are some passages that return to the same themes over and over again. Perhaps without these repetitions, the book could have been under 800 pages and gained in agility. Following that maxim: if you think a book has 100 pages too many, then it has 100 pages too many.

But aside from these two details, I think it's a spectacular book, essential for readers of challenging novels with tough themes.

I'll leave the link here in case you want to purchase it: A little life 

And here's the link to her new work: To paradise