A Little Life by H Yanagiharav is a Man Booker & Nat'l Bk Award Nominee Which Beats Me

"A Little Life" by Amer writer Hanya Yanagiharav (b. Amer 1975) received a Na'l Book Award & Man Booker nomination.  I think this novel is an abomination.  Jude St Francis is a horribly abused orphan. He's raised & molested in the church and his life goes from bad to worse.  Just thinking of the relentless sexual abuse, brutal beatings and torture this young man endured makes me want to hurl.  Why did I read this novel and in its entirety?  Good question.  And, why did it receive such prestigious recognition?  Maybe because it became addictive?  Jude's 1st tormentor, sexually molested him & coerced him to have sex with men for money.  He escapes the priest only to be enslaved by a depraved, brutal pervert.  There is a turning point.  This comes after he's found, having been left for dead.  His captor drove over Jude when he attempted to flee.  Miraculously (or incredulously) Jude matriculates into an Ivy League college.  He forms friendships for the 1st with his assigned roommates.  Redemption  from suffering is short lived.  The years of abuse turn into self-abuse. Jude incessantly cuts himself with razors & bashes himself against walls.  I HATED this relentless book.  Reading this was as painful as slicing my own wrists.  I must be somewhat of a masochist.  Take my advice, don't get started.

Nat'l Bk Nom. FATES and FURIES by Lauren Groff

FATES and FURIES is a dazzling literary novel that shimmers with the genius of Faulkner, Joyce &  Shakespeare while spinning a tale of a young, golden couple whose world is their oyster.  Mathilde and Lancelot (Lotto) are drawn together the moment their eyes lock the last week of college, They marry before graduation and remain a couple despite the outlandish odds.  To thine own self be true: "She never lied. Just never said."  How does a person truly know the another?  One is never sure where the storytelling is headed.  There are multiple narratives that break off into fissures that spin into the future, fold backwards and speak directly to the reader.  Groff's writing style is reason enough to appreciate why she received a Nat'l Book Award nomination.  Yet, there are many interesting & unexpected twists and reveals to keep you immersed in this tale.  There will be times when you will become overwhelmed or submerged in miasma .  FATES is laden with erudite literary references. Groff's creative writing places her among the elite.  What is the difference between tragedy & comedy?  "There's no difference. It's a question of perspective."