The People in the Trees

In 1950, Norton Perina, a young American doctor, joins an anthropological expedition to a remote Micronesian island in search of a rumoured lost tribe. There he encounters a strange group of jungle-dwellers who appear to have attained a form of immortality that preserves the body but not the mind. Perina uncovers their secret and returns with it to America, where he soon finds great success. But his discovery has come at a terrible cost, not only for the islanders, but for Perina himself.

“The world Yanagihara conjures up, full of dark pockets of mystery, is magical.”

The Times
Impossible to resist Daily Mail
Absorbing, intelligent and uncompromising Independent
Power and its abuses are at the heart of this richly imagined novel . . . In structure and subject, The People in the Trees pays tribute to Vladimir Nabokov's two masterpieces: Pale Fire and Lolita . . . Perina's voice – wry, superior, unthinkingly cruel – is one of the key triumphs of the book. -- Katie Kitamura The Guardian
Dazzling . . . A triumph of the imagination -- Anthony Doerr
An engrossing, beautifully detailed, at times amazing (and shocking) novel . . . I loved this book. -- Paul Theroux
Suspenseful . . . Yanagihara is a writer to marvel at. The New York Times
A standout novel, a debut as thrilling as it is disturbing The Wall Street Journal
Captivating and thoroughly unsettling Vogue

Hanya Yanagihara lives in New York City.

THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRST NOVEL BY THE MAN BOOKER AND BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE SHORTLISTED AUTHOR OF A LITTLE LIFE 'A novel you will finish and immediately want to read again' Sarah Waters 'Beautifully written . . . striking and highly satisfying' Guardian In 1950 Norton Perina, a young doctor, embarks on an expedition to a remote Micronesian island in search of a rumoured lost tribe. There he encounters a strange group of jungle-dwellers who appear to have attained a form of immortality. Perina uncovers their secret and returns to America, where he soon finds great success. But his discovery has come at a terrible cost, not only for the islanders, but for Perina himself . . . Both riveting and unsettling, The People in the Trees explores the various faces of the misuse of power in a profound when cultures collide. 'An absorbing, intelligent and uncompromising novel which beguiles and unnerves' Independent 'Impossible to resist . . . brilliantly told' Daily Mail 'The world Yanagihara conjures up, full of dark pockets of mystery, is magical' The Times

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