A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara follows the lives of four friends—Jude, Willem, JB, and Malcolm—after they graduate from college and move to New York City. The novel primarily focuses on Jude, a brilliant but mysterious lawyer with a traumatic past. As his friends rise in their respective careers, Jude struggles with deep emotional and physical scars from years of abuse.

The story explores themes of friendship, trauma, pain, survival, and the complexities of love and relationships. Yanagihara delves into the psychological impact of abuse and how Jude's past influences his present and future. The book is both a meditation on suffering and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, though it can be emotionally heavy and intense.