I can't understand why this is so highly regarded? I find the abuse so excessive it borders on disgusting by the author, like its such a stupid degree of abuse it feels like she's enjoying writing it?
Maybe its because the trauma depiction is good? People like a good cry? I cried a bit but not enough for this to be worth it at all, although my life has been pretty trauma free so maybe this wasn't for me, I just found the level of the endless abuse disgusting by her. There really didn't need to be that much to get the point across. Did not need to be 800 pages at all either.
The fact that the 3 other characters really don't matter that much (or at least 2 are essentially worthless) doesn't bother me, or that they all become omega experts in their fields is fine, but how much Jude gets the shit kicked out of him incessantly is far too excessive for me.
To be honest my hatred of the book has been recursively incrementing every time I think about it so I have biased myself out of any real positives from the book.
by paudstaa
7 Comments
Because some people mistake trauma porn for good dramatic writing
It’s the bell jar for gen z.
It’s not on reddit, at least.. This sub hates A Little Life and virtually everyone thinks it’s just trauma porn. Your opinion is pretty much the mainstream popular opinion around here.
Peoples first introduction to litfic I guess and they see all suffering as some profound artistic statement.
>Maybe its because the trauma depiction is good? People like a good cry?
Yes. A lot of positive reviews highlighted it as a cathartic experience.
It is highly common for a piece of media to be highly regarded if it makes you cry a lot. Hence, those lists of books and movies that are tearjerkers.
Search this sub for “ugly cry” and you get unlimited results. There’s a certain type of consumer of books that finds that kind of stuff infinitely compelling.
I got 100 pages in and stopped, couldn’t continue. now the books lives in my car, for desperate times