What I've been reading: Books No. 59-60

Book No. 59 was "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara. I think I saw this on a "best books of 2015" list and have been meaning to read it for a while. I'm so glad I did! The story starts like a typical coming-of-age novel about four college friends, but it quickly becomes apparent that the central character is Jude -- who is very guarded about dark, terrible things that have happened in his past and who prefers to listen to his friends' tales rather than talk about himself. I found myself crying about every 50 pages or so, and with a book that's over 700 pages, that's a lot of crying. I've seen this described by a reviewer as "a big emotional book," and it is. But the author never manipulates your emotions in a cheap way. The emotional response comes less from the horrible things that have happened to Jude than from the permanent damage those things have caused. If you've ever had a traumatized friend or loved one who can't quite believe the nice things you say about them but who immediately believes any negative thing said about them, you will feel for Jude and his friends who can't figure out how to help him out of his self-loathing. I think the last 10 percent of the book is the weakest, but overall, I loved this book so much. Depsite the grim subject matter and the fact that Jude is never really "cured" or "healed," it's a book about love and friendship and it's really beautiful.

Book No. 60 was "A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories" by Flannery O'Connor. I'd read some of these stories in college, but it was a pleasure to re-read them. Her short stories are deceptively simple but stick with you. She's great at both black humor and building up a real, palpable sense of dread. One story I do NOT remember reading back in the day is "The Displaced Person." Wow, what a powerhouse of a novella. Be aware that while O'Connor herself was a supporter of civil rights, many of her characters are racist Southerners, so use of the "N" word is pervasive, including being used in the title of one of her stories.

( The other books I've read so far this year: )