Worth the hype? I think so, but something was missing. I don't see this sticking with me in the same way "The People in the Trees" has. This one is long, overwritten, and super depressing, but still showcases Hanya Yanagihara's amazing ability to write and create characters.

Underrated aspect of this book: the setting, I loved the descriptions of NYC/all the other places in this book, of their apartments and houses, of the restaurants and galleries they attend, their workplaces, etc. It added so much to the story. This year I'm realizing setting is almost as important as characters are to me when reading. Another random thing is her ability to choose character names. For some reason each name of a character whether they be an MC or secondary just flows really well, interacts with the others well and looks good on the page. Idk how she does it