A Little Life — Hanya Yanagihara (2015)

A Little Life is the most emotionally intense literary novel of the century, sustaining a devastating power that surpasses even #7 Pachinko in its unrelenting exploration of trauma. Its 720-page narrative follows four friends from college through middle age, centering on Jude, a survivor of extraordinary childhood abuse rendered with unflinching precision. The novel sparked fierce debate—praised for its ambition yet criticized for perceived exploitation—and became the most talked-about American literary novel since Franzen's *Freedom*, selling over 1.5 million copies in the US alone. This sales figure is 25% higher than the average literary novel of the decade, cementing its cultural impact.