I too had tears running down my face when reading A Little Life. It was much the same as when I was reading Ready Player One.
Both books were so utterly awful that it felt like physical pain to keep reading.
I confess, I just could not bring myself to finish A Little Life.
I’ve never read it, only listened to the audiobook and I wasn’t conscious of missing out.
Now that you mention it I do remember rewinding a few times though.
That’s a general problem with audibooks for me. Sometimes my mind wanders and I realise I’ve missed 30 seconds of the book. It’s irritating having to rewind.
It started with an intriguing concept but really meandered and didn’t feel like the story had a strong link as it went along.
I finished it,l. I kept going because it was an interesting enough read but I agree with you, it wasn’t particularly well written.
Shawshank Redemption