A LITTLE LIFE

Oliver Wyman delivers an amazing performance of Hanya Yanagihara’s (THE PEOPLE IN THE TREES) disturbing new novel. Short-listed for the Mann Booker Prize, A LITTLE LIFE centers on longtime friends Jude, Willem, Malcolm, and JB. Jude, whose unspeakable childhood abuses contribute to his self-destructive tendencies, is the pivotal figure. He’s beautiful and brilliant, and the others circle him as moths to the flame. Willem is a struggling white actor, JB is an African-American painter with a sharp tongue, Malcolm is an unfulfilled biracial architect, and Jude's race is undetermined. We follow the friends from college into their 50s, and Wyman’s subtle vocal changes reflect their disenchantments as they age. Thanks to Wyman’s sensitivity, this introspective examination of male friendship, race, sexuality, and love truly resonates. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2016]