A Little Life - Richmond/Harold Pinter/Savoy/ Cinema

It's less "misery porn conga" and more the reality that some people experience serial abuse, and in turn, engage in self-harm for a variety of reasons.

Once was enough for me; won't be going to the London version/transfer. I already have a feeling which character Zubin Varla will play and his booming voice reminds me of the Dutch counterpart. (I thought that was very cleverly done - without giving too much away)

To echo what has already been said yesterday - it is by far the most graphic, shocking thing I've seen onstage. I was sat far away at the ITA and still struggled to watch those scenes. Wouldn't recommend being close up (appreciate it's a personal choice)

it is indeed misery/abuse porn. also very badly written and full of implausible stuff and plot holes.  

I haven't seen the play, I was referring to the book. Considering how badly written it is, I imagine the play can only improve the story, especially if it focuses on the first half. I of course can buy implausibility, just not as much as Yanagihara packs into this book.

The book isn't set in a particular time, what happens to any of the characters isn't realistic, I took these to be deliberate choices and let it happen. I'd never read it again but I did find reading it a very cathartic experience. It's not the same, but I'm reminded of Les Miserables (the book more than the show) which is completely littered with coincidences and implausibility, and my understanding as a reader is that there is supposed to be a slightly magical quality to what's happening, it is an artifice of the novel. But I can 100% understand why someone would hate the book and 100% support anyone saying they're not interested in seeing the play. I can't wait!

If that was referred to me, how do you know anything about what I have or have not experienced? 

The events portrayed in the book are very very similar to my own upbringing and life (except obviously I didn’t die), and the fact I have personally experienced those events is the very reason I hate the book and consider it Misery Porn.

It very obviously was written by someone without any personal experience of the things she’s writing about, and while normally I applaud writers being able to write characters very different from themselves (an able-bodied Asian-American woman raised by a father who was a respected doctor, writing a disabled white gay man raised without any family), but in this case the nature of the material coupled with the lack of authenticity made it feel deeply exploitative and shallow. Imo obviously.

Fwiw, and obviously this is anecdotal, all the people I know who experienced the same things as Jude, dislike the book. The only people I know who adore it come from very comfortable and privileged backgrounds and really do seem to see the book as a kind of dark tourism of literature. I’m sure there are exceptions. But it does seem like the most pushback against the book is coming from actual abuse survivors.

Not sure how that’s relevant to the fact that some “horrifically scarred by abuse who never received treatment” people hate the book, and consider it inauthentic and exploitative misery porn.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Can you please give a bit of detail? Thinking of booking but worried it’ll be a bit much. Not too keen on blood etc. Might read the book first?

Tickets for this seem to be selling well. Will no doubt be helped by James Norton on Graham Norton today. I want to see this but have been holding off due to the insane prices - now getting slightly concerned about missing out! I seem to recall the first couple of rows not being available but wasn’t sure if they’d sold out or were being held back. Is this likely to be worth the splurge or is it best to hold out?

Unfortunately for my bank balance, I think I’d only want to watch this in the theatre! 😂