In a remarkable and precise prose, Yanagihara has fashioned a tragic and transcendent hymn to brotherly love, a masterful depiction of heartbreak, and a dark examination of the tyranny of memory and the limits of human endurance. An epic study of trauma and friendship written with such intelligence and depth of perception that it will be one of the benchmarks against which all other novels that broach those subjects (and they are legion) will be measured. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he'll not only be unable to overcome – but that will define his life forever. For some unknown reason, he became in my head Rami Malek's character 'Louis Dega' from the film 'Papillion'.

The novel masterfully explores themes of love, loyalty, sacrifice, and the enduring bonds of friendship as the characters confront their own personal challenges and traumas. Featuring a vibrant rainbow design, and our super-sized Q logo, you won't find a more stylish way to make a statement. The production is not able to guarantee the appearance of any specific actor due to illness or unforeseen circumstances.

And the characters, as they get richer and ever more successful, seem to live in a glossy world of beautiful homes and international travel and gorgeous food.

But of course, I was so invested in the characters of Jude and Willem that I was never going to walk away from the book. The eleventh apartment had only one closet, but it did have a sliding glass door that opened onto a small balcony, from which he could see a man sitting across the way, outdoors in only a T-shirt and shorts even though it was October, smoking.I can only think the sun and bushfire smoke must have affected my brain, because it must have pushed my luggage allowance close to the limit. The characters are so rich and detailed, the prose is clean and evocative, and the storytelling and structure keep you engaged. By the time the characters reach their 50s and the story arrives at its moving conclusion, readers will be attached and find them very hard to forget. Of all the books I've read and reviewed, I've never been more on the fence than I have with this one.