A Little Life tells a story about the devastating journey of four friends living in New York after their graduation from college. They are broke, adrift, and with hearts full of ambitions held together by their bond with each other. There is Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel painter; Malcolm, a frustrated architect; and the withdrawn, enigmatic protagonist, Jude, the center of their gravity; by midlife, a successful, brilliant lawyer yet an increasingly broken man. Throughout the decades, their friendship deepens and darkens, stained by addiction, success, and pride, but each comes to realize their most difficult challenge is Jude himself. Jude, whose body and mind have been scarred by an unspeakable childhood and abuse even in adulthood, and a level of trauma that he will not only be unable to overcome but will define his life forever. This is a character-heavy book that deals with a lot of tough topics. Primarily, it is a book about trauma and how some people are beyond saving. How trauma affects someone and how their mind works. How some people are unable to get better even if, by societal standards, they have everything in their life at some point. This book talks about suicide, suicidal ideation, self-harm, child abuse, sexual abuse, depression, and trauma. The characters in this book are well written. Each has their own distinct personalities and adds a significant layer to the story. The friendships and found family wrap around Jude, who has always felt worthless and undeserving of anything good. The characters are complex, and the story also talks about race and poverty in context with the characters. A Little Life is an uncomfortably dark and tragic book, and one that is abundantly important at the same time.

-Ariana