A Little Life

Hanya Yanagihara
Jude = Jude He had spent his free hour—after

X=X classes but before chores—wading in the

stream on the edge of the monastery’s

property, searching for leeches of his

own. And when he couldn’t find any,

when he was told there weren’t any in

that creek, he screamed and screamed

until his voice deserted him, and even

then he couldn’t stop, even when his

ec iate d
throat felt like it was filling itself with

ays ap p r th e
hot blood.
had al w wa s, h ow e lf

e
H elusive it quation i d
ts
how ty of the e e frustrate it.

beauld always b s to prove that

wou he attempt of axiom t

by t as the kind mad, tha

It w d drive you you, that
ntire

coul d consume come an e

coul d easily be
coul
life.

Leeches
et, w ith it s

e n ar d St re s an d

Lisp bscured alcove s that

half-o arrens and wall so

dark w en painted over ould

had be times that you cs where

many idges and blister een

feel r and bugs had b , was a

m ot hs s l a ye r s
Lispenard Street entombed in aitccurate

u c h m o
m tion of whore h e is.
reflec