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The People in the Trees

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The People in the Trees

By: Hanya Yanagihara
Narrated by: Jeff Harding
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About this listen

In 1950, a young doctor call Norton Perina signs on with the anthropologist Paul Tallent for an expedition to the remote Micronesian island of Ivu’ivu in search of a rumoured lost tribe. They succeed in finding not only that tribe but also a group of forest dwellers they dub ‘The Dreamers’, who turn out to be fantastically long-lived but progressively more senile.

Perina suspects the source of their longevity is a hard-to-find turtle; unable to resist the possibility of eternal life, he kills one and smuggles some meat back to the States. He scientifically proves his thesis, earning worldwide fame and the Nobel Prize, but he soon discovers that its miraculous property comes at a terrible price.

As things quickly spiral out of his control, his own demons take hold, with devastating personal consequences.

©2013 Hanya Yanagihara (P)2013 Audible Ltd Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature Scary
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Crikey – this is a skwirmingly, harsh, hideous and brutal story. But it is extremely well written although the content is somewhat indescribable. In some places, in particular at the beginning of the book, the drawn out and unnecessary barbarity of the story teller, Norton Perina’s entrance and background beginnings could probably have been watered down, as in my view it added nothing and left me feeling quite sick. I found him a dislikeable fellow. However, as we approach the middling of this tale the story becomes awkward and yet you are compelled to continue with it having struggled to get thus far. I was intrigued as to where the story was going to take me and at this stage began to like the main character and find him a person of substance. On coming to the end of this indescribable tale the story was again getting back to the uncomfortable and having felt sympathy for Perina, I had been duped by an abuser and had I known the book would take the turn it did, I probably wouldn’t have listened. Take on board a few reviews before making a decision as to whether you might want to spend your money on this story.

Em - Harsh, but well written

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Written with incredible detail and care, it was, nevertheless (and it pains me to say it) very tedious at times.
She is a genius, but not always a very entertaining one 😔

A hard slog!

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What did you like most about The People in the Trees?

Absorbing story, good unusual and plausible characterisation, interesting ideas.

What other book might you compare The People in the Trees to, and why?

Similar book? (question has changed for some reason!) The Heart Broke In by James Meek. Both have scientific themes, and both feature a strong character as scientist who is not conventionally sympathetic.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Harding’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Jeff Harding's performance was good - clear and well-timed - and impressed with how he used different voices to convey different characters.

Any additional comments?

The story is presented in the form of an edited journal so the reader gets to hear the editor's and the main main character's point of view. I liked the juxtaposition of the two. It was a good way of presenting information.

Intelligent and Interesting

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the science the tale woven into a tapestry not knowing the end till the end

the intricate details of the islanders and their way of like . I was quiet shocked to realise the ending was about abuse

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I won't say I didn't enjoy this book because I did, I did but... It left me uncomfortable for the fact. A wonderful story of hidden natural wonders sandwiched between some very teeth clenching events of extreme taboo for our society underwritten with the questions of how such things are perceived by other societies - a questioning of moral values which no one wants to face.

Uncomfortable stuff, by the end, but none the less magical in parts.

Bizarre. Unique. Uncomfortable.

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