The Passion Fruit

Only here to talk about A Little Life

[alittlepassionfruit]

Fall is here and so is the urge to re-read A Little Life…

[metamorphesque]

[alittlepassionfruit]

Jude 10 years ago on June 12, a nothing day.

[grimnjow]

not to talk about a little life again but u know what's something thats so small and special about that book. all the gifts they give to each are always about each other.

'heres this painting i made' jb says. 'heres this house i created' malcolm says, both in model forms and literally. 'heres things i love about this building you also love' says malcolm and phaedra and ali and india and the henry youngs, 'and here's the memories we have with it' adds jude.

everyone is always creating for each other and they're constantly giving little pieces of themselves to each other and they all treasure those gifted pieces SO much and so dearly.

'here,' they all seem to be saying. 'i want you to have this piece of me, i want you to keep it safe.' even jude, his last gift to harold and julia, his recorded songs from his adoption that he stashed on their bookcase. even he, purposefully unknowable and half-hidden, always, gave a piece of himself to those he loved.

[alittlepassionfruit]

So beautifully said! Yes! Yes! Yes!

[pjshermann]

Jude St Francis and his cat Ruthie (short for Ruth Bader Ginspurr. named by @jemcore)

jude shouldve gotten a pet.

[alittlepassionfruit]

A poem that’s reminiscent of Jude and Willem. An afternoon in their home upstate, perhaps.

[pjshermann]

The Boyz n the Hood at a college party. Just straight studs

[supercollide]

obligatory mid april happy birthday jude st. francis post

[supercollide]

can famous people stop publicly saying a little life is their favorite book? i appreciate you. but i want to live in peace. i want to be free from trauma porn discourse.

[alittlepassionfruit]

Vulture getting an exclusive to the news of Matt Bomer narrating A Little Life audiobook, considering how they famously berated it, is so funny.

[eenkleinleven]

👀👀👀

[alittlepassionfruit]

A new audiobook narration by Matt Bomer was not in my bingo card. Hanya is getting closer and closer to her film (or TV) adaptation…. lol

[alittlepassionfruit]

Jude St Francis driving to his therapist’ office, only to not going inside, stay in his car and read On Narcissism for the duration of his session.

I’m afraid there’s no one funnier than him.

[alittlepassionfruit]

Hi! I saw one of your posts talking about “asshole” jude. Can you give me examples of scenes that he acted like that?

There are a few! But off the top of my head:

- Anytime he threatens Andy with a lawsuit for doing what he’s supposed to as his doctor. Andy breaks every law imaginable to care for Jude. Is Andy an awful doctor? Yes, in many ways he is. But he cares about Jude. And sometimes Jude doesn’t know how to appreciate that because he’s afraid of not being in control of his life (in the same way he resented Malcolm for caring about his disability more than he cares himself).

- When he has that big fight with Willem and calls out Willem’s savior complex. That reference to Hemming was not very nice! But I was proud of Jude in that scene for standing up for himself at least.

- After Willem dies, he’s pretty much an asshole to everybody frequently. The most obvious scene when he criticizes and throws the sandwich sweet Julia made for him. His tantrums are out of grieve at this point obviously, but his angry inner child was just waiting for a chance to storm out!

[alittlepassionfruit]

“Cooper Koch omg he would be perfect!!!!!”

Surely they mean for Willem, right?

[alittlepassionfruit]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[alittlepassionfruit]

It just dawned on me that Jude died in the summer.

“Jude’s season”

[pjshermann]

joobie st frankie

[alittlepassionfruit]

The emo bob! He’s perfect 😍

[alittlepassionfruit]

im actually such a sucker for "asshole" Jude. i always hate how traumatized characters are usually boxed into being innocent lambs and always sweet and never doing anything wrong and absolutely selfess. it makes the character feel like a trope instead of a complex character and it just further shows how people only accept victims when they're docile. I adore Jude's "problematic" or less than likeable qualities, it makes him feel human and it feels like a more realistic portroyal of how someone with extreme childhood trauma and PTSD would behave. And besides, every other character in this novel says unsavoury things sometimes or acts like a dick. thats just how people are.

I LOOOOVE when Jude barks back. Woof woof!

I think the book does a good job at showing which circumstances make him turn docile and insecure, and which situations make him feel safe enough to stand his ground and push back.

Jude is such a complete person. I wish he could have seen himself that way.