Listen free for 30 days

  • A Little Life

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Hanya Yanagihara
  • Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
  • Length: 32 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (35 ratings)

1 credit a month, good for any title to download and keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
$14.95 a month plus applicable taxes after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
A Little Life cover art

A Little Life

Written by: Hanya Yanagihara
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $61.41

Buy Now for $61.41

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST

SHORT-LISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE

Brace yourself for the most astonishing, challenging, upsetting, and profoundly moving book in many a season. An epic about love and friendship in the twenty-first century that goes into some of the darkest places fiction has ever traveled and yet somehow improbably breaks through into the light. Truly an amazement—and a great gift for its audiences.

When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.

In rich and resplendent prose, Yanagihara has fashioned a tragic and transcendent hymn to brotherly love, a masterful depiction of heartbreak, and a dark examination of the tyranny of memory and the limits of human endurance.

Cover photograph: Orgasmic Man by Peter Hujar, © 1987 The Peter Hujar Archive LLC

©2022 Penguin Random House Audio (P)2022 Random House Audio

Editorial Review

A Little Life will leave you speechless with a beautifully moving and heartbreaking look at the evolution of brotherly love and friendship.

It’s been touted by critics as “all-consuming” and “maddeningly thought-provoking” and described by listeners as “life-altering.” In A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara crafted a masterpiece of literary fiction. Following the lives of four college friends struggling to make it in the concrete jungle that is New York City, this story is a testament to the limits of human endurance. The profound effects of the unspeakable childhood trauma suffered by Jude, the main character, will shape them all and challenge each one in ways only deep love can. Performed impeccably by narrator Oliver Wyman, this Audible audiobook original is best appreciated with as few spoilers as possible.

A Little Life has amassed a following for its transcendent look at the heart-rendering relationships forged and sustained among its quartet of characters across a lifetime. Yanagihara’s ability to delve deep into the abyss of human emotion is hauntingly moving. But what keeps people raving is how the writer captures the nuances and plight of the human experience. Listeners will find themselves and their singular struggles reflected in every single character in this book in one way or another. A Man Booker Prize finalist and a candidate for the National Book Award for Fiction, A Little Life is a stirring novel and essential addition to the listening library of everyone who appreciates superbly told stories of suffering, resilience, and the power of friendship.

Featured Article: The Top Audiobooks People Are Obsessed With on BookTok

For audiobook lovers, nothing comes close to the feeling of stumbling upon a new favourite adventure, love story, or thriller. Finding that new favourite is now easier than ever! The world of BookTok is overflowing with audiobooks ready to become your new obsession. A young girl cursed to live forever, Greek mythology reimagined, life-saving time-travel, and so much more. We've scoured this corner of social media and compiled a list of what titles are trending and are definitely worth the hype. So sit back, press play, and escape your world for a while with the most popular books on BookTok.

What listeners say about A Little Life

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    25
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written

Narration was everything I want in audio books. While I loved the writing and the story moved at a good pace, it didn't live up to my expectations of what everyone who was recommending had said. I read this book because everyone said it was sad, and it was, but I often felt that it came off excessive in its depiction of torture to the point where it was no longer believable to me. Then at some point the book became 100% about Jude's pain and left no room for other characters to explore their own story outside of how it intertwined with Jude's horrific past. Maybe physically reading it may have impacted me differently, but I just don't see myself reading it again.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Liz
  • 2023-02-17

Devastating and Beautiful

Ha ya is a master storyteller. This book will haunt me for a long time.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

11/10 crying

So raw. So true. So painful. So beautiful. Would read 100 times again. This book is truly a masterpiece.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just…. Wow

It’s not often that I read (or listen to) a book that makes me want to stop time so that I can bask in the feelings and thoughts it evokes, but this was one of them.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best I’ve ever listened to

A slow burn story of deep friendships. Just what I was craving. I quickly attached myself to every character and eagerly listened to every development. I couldn’t stop listening. At times I sat disbelieving, stunned or joyful or wiping away tears but always 100% engaged. So much was happening. Loved the story and narration was fantastic. I’ll miss them all as if I was somehow one of their friends.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Sarah D
  • Sarah D
  • 2022-11-03

An Emotional and Thoughtful Experience

Devastating. Beautifully written. Talented narrator. Worth the emotional torment and occasional tears this beautiful book caused. I started reading the physical book, but towards the end moved to the audiobook. Very pleased with that experience, as the narrator tells the story with grace.

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Catharine Gicheru
  • Catharine Gicheru
  • 2022-12-12

Gutwrenchingly beautiful

This book will punch you in the face and when you are down on the ground and can’t take anymore, it will stomp on you, right in the heart. It is such a tough story but so worth the time it takes to listen or read it. My soul is hurting but I am thankful for this book for being so beautifully written and so emotionally provoking.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amazon Customer
  • Amazon Customer
  • 2022-12-01

A big life really

This is an amazing story of the lives of 4 college friends and their friends. At times I was smiling and hopeful and other times in tears. A long story, but a great one. In Depth discussion of sexual abuse, life of LGBT community, friendship, drug abuse, illness, parenting, suicide and so much more . I am a richer person, having listened to this book.

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for mollie podlasek
  • mollie podlasek
  • 2022-12-11

Wonderfully written and narrated

It had a slow start for me, but it was solid character building. Really great book, and talented narrator

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amazon Customer
  • Amazon Customer
  • 2022-12-04

Beautiful, Painful, and Lasting

This book was impossible to stop listening to, despite the incredibly challenging subject matter. The characters felt so real that throughout the book I found myself vacillating between loving, hating, envying and pitying them. I find myself unable to describe exactly why I so thoroughly embraced this book, except for the fact that its story seems to echo the reality of life so purely. Is there really a deeper meaning to it all, or do we just exist for existence’s sake?

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for KC
  • KC
  • 2022-11-30

Heartbreaking

I’d give the story 5 stars but it’s the most depressing book I’ve ever experienced. Written so gorgeously too. Can’t say if I’d recommend but this one will stay with me for a while and now I want a physical copy to read in a year or two or five. The narrator is absolutely amazing and kept me enthralled the entire listen.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amazon Customer
  • Amazon Customer
  • 2022-11-29

I have never given 15 stars before!

A recent article in the Atlantic talked about books that can make you smarter. This book will make you a better person. I loved it. I miss it now that it’s over.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Annie
  • Annie
  • 2022-11-28

best book I ever read

I am a bookworm. this is the best book I ever read. the audiobook was amazing. one thousand stars

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Old Tyme Punk
  • Old Tyme Punk
  • 2022-11-24

Beautiful, and emotionally heavy

This book is misery porn; heartbreaking for all involved.
I fell in love with the story and characters.
Trigger Warnings: Sexual Assaults, Child Abuse of every kind, drug use, suicide, homosexual relationships, straight relationships, self harm, cutting, and abduction. The author approaches all with a delicate, visceral, realism.

Light synopsis:
Jude, an attorney, has deep, festering emotional scars from physical, emotional, sexual abuse from a child through teen age years.
He’s a humpty-dumpty one crack away from shattering. He has friends whom he hides his pain from, and never brings up his tragic past. The story spans 40 something years.

This is an extremely sad story. You will not feel good afterwards…but I loved it still. This is misery porn at it’s finest.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jay
  • Jay
  • 2022-11-23

Absolutely Amazing

From beginning to end, this novel was filled with so much emotion that I found myself crying more than I’d like to admit. I’m so glad I decided to listen to this amazing piece of literature!

1 person found this helpful