One of the monks, Brother Luke, had taken a special interest in Jude and was the only one who never hurt Jude, which resulted in him working frequently in the greenhouse with Luke, for which he believes was the beginning of the end of his life. These feelings take Jude back to when he was first found as an infant by the monks, and was raised in a monastery, where he was physically, mentally and sexually abused by them. Jude's heavy frustration with his lack of progress leads to another bout of self-harm. During one of his visits with Andy, it is implied that his injuries will never fully heal. Throughout the years of him and Harold getting closer, Jude is still reluctant to reveal his history to him. During his years at law school, Jude captures the attention of his professor, Harold Stein, and develops a close relationship with him and his wife, Julia.

Ana's passing pushes him to move forward with college, which leads him to meeting Willem, JB and Malcolm. However, she suddenly falls ill and dies. Jude slowly heals from his injuries and gets closer to Ana, who pushes him to open up and speak about what happened. Jude is reliving memories of after an accident, when he was in the hospital at 16 and was encouraged by Ana to go to college make something of himself. A new narrative is introduced in the form of flashbacks and Jude thinks back to Ana, his first and only social worker. Jude goes to work at the US Attorney's office. There is a clear understanding that they equally care and love each other despite this, Jude finds himself unable to divulge either details of his past or of his current state of mind to his friends. It is demonstrated how extremely close they all are, in varying degrees of friendship. Throughout college and even well after college, the four continue to spend time together frequently. JB frequents his mother's home and focuses his implacable self-loathing on breaking into the art world.

Aside from the wealthy class that he was born into, Malcolm, who still lives with his parents, yearns for the independence that his friends have. Willem came from the rural life, and was estranged from his family until both parents passed away while he was in college. As the novel progresses, the reader is given insight into the individual lives of Willem, JB and Malcolm, which sets up how and why the characters interact with each other the way they do. However, one such bout of Jude's cutting leading to Willem's needing to take him to Andy Contractor, Jude's doctor and trusted friend. It is heavily implied that he has been doing this for quite some time. Jude has severe depression, anxiety and extreme mental trauma from his childhood, and copes with it by resorting to self-harm. The narrator notes Jude's walking difficulties and chronic mind-numbing pain вЂ“ which radiates from his spine to his feet. The story opens with an introduction of Lispenard Street, where Jude and Willem reside in an apartment together. The book follows their relationships changing under the influence of success, wealth, addiction, and pride. The novel's main focus is the enigmatic lawyer, Jude. Francis, a disabled genius with a mysterious past Willem Ragnarsson, a kind, handsome man who aspires to be an actor Jean-Baptiste 'JB' Marion, a quick-witted painter who wants to make a name in the art world and Malcolm Irvine, an architect working at a prestigious firm. The novel focuses on the lives of four friends: Jude St. This literary perspective is punctuated by first-person narratives told by an older Harold, nine years in the future. As the story gradually shifts its focus towards Jude, its perspective progressively molds entirely around each character's interactions with Jude and the experiences of Jude himself. During the beginning of the novel, a third-person omniscient perspective privileging the thoughts of Jude, Willem, JB and Malcolm is employed. The novel's narrative perspectives shift throughout the story's progression. A Little Life follows a chronological narrative with flashbacks frequently interspersed throughout.

A little life