Sometimes when there is so much buzz and hype about a book, like there was for this one, I get a bit resistant about reading it.  But, I am so glad that I overcame my resistance, because this is one of the most profound, insightful and provocative novels about friendship, love and the meaning of family, that I have ever read!

The story begins with four friends from college who move to New York City to begin their lives and pursue their dreams. Willem, the actor, is working as a waiter waiting for his big break. JB is pursuing his art while working as a receptionist; a job he loathes almost as much as the people he works with.  Malcolm has managed to find work as an architect at a large and prestigious firm, but still lives at home and remains uncertain of the choices he has made. Jude is a lawyer who works at the US Attorney’s Office, but is an enigma to his friends since he is unable share with them the childhood trauma and abuse which caused the injury to his legs, limiting his mobility and causing debilitating pain.

Told in alternating voices, we see the friends grow, change and mature. Their lives continually revolve around each other, as they begin to achieve success in their respective careers. Yet even as they gain individual recognition and success, it is their devotion to Jude that holds the four men together. Kind, perceptive and gracious, Jude always sees the best in each of his friends and tries to get them all to see the best in each other. But he is unable to allow them to do the same for him, even Willem, who seems to know him best and has the ability to overcome some of his defenses. While they look out for him and protect him from his own worst impulses, the friends are handicapped by their limited knowledge of his past and are only partially successful in helping Jude build up his ability to trust and allow himself to be loved. It is only when further tragedy strikes that Jude must decide whether to allow himself to see himself the way others see him or to condemn himself to see only the distortions that he has believed since childhood.

Beautifully written in an elegiac style that pulls you in, Yanagihara has created an ode to the power of friendship and the healing power of love. But it is also a bitter reminder of the pall that childhood abuse can exert over the minds and lives of its victims. Each character is lovingly realized and the use of different voices to develop and tell the stories of the other characters is truly unique. Profound but not preachy, tender but unequivocally truthful, transcendent and devastating at the same time, this is indeed a modern love story.

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 out of 5 Stars)  

Recommend this book to: Keith, Ken, Sharon, Marian and Lauren

Book Study Worthy? YES

Read in ebook format.