The People in the Trees

By: Hanya Yanagihara

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, BD Wong

Length: 17 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Listeners of exciting, challenging, and visionary literary fiction - including admirers of Norman Rush's Mating, Ann Patchett's State of Wonder, Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, and Peter Matthiessen's At Play in the Fields of the Lord - will be drawn to this astonishingly gripping and accomplished first novel. A decade in the writing, this is an anthropological adventure story that combines the visceral allure of a thriller with a profound and tragic vision of what happens when cultures collide. It is a book that instantly catapults Hanya Yanagihara into the company of young novelists who really, really matter.

In 1950, a young doctor called Norton Perina signs on with the anthropologist Paul Tallent for an expedition to the remote Micronesian island of Ivu'ivu in search of a rumored lost tribe. They succeed, 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.

*This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF that contains a map and the Appendix from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. 

©2021 Hanya Yanagihara (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"One of the year's best books.... Driven by Yanagihara's gorgeously complete imaginary ethnography on the one hand and, on the other, by her brilliantly detestable narrator, this debut novel is compelling on every level - morally, aesthetically, and narratively." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"[The People in the Trees] is exhaustingly inventive and almost defiant in its refusal to offer redemption or solace - but that is arguable one of its virtues. As for Yanagihara, she is a writer to marvel at." (The New York Times Book Review) 

"The People in the Trees is a haunting story of moral absolutes confounded by a seemingly empirical understanding of the merciless caprices of nature.... A standout novel, a debut as thrilling as it is disturbing." (The Wall Street Journal) 

Beautiful literary graphics and voice

The complex scientific re-telling, truly as if faithful historical rendition, for me overshadowed by the realistic portrayal of possible sexual misconduct in too unlikely reflection of the possible scientific contradiction. I felt likewise betrayed by Norton and author. Mixed emotion, but relieved at the final, final outcome and coming, as it were. Thank you.

Difficult

The story was well written, I just have trouble reconciling with a character I do not like. I am uneasy after finishing the story. I have more thoughts, but I’ll save them for a two sided conversation.

Narration was perfect.

Brilliant writing

A tropical landscape has never enjoyed such attention from an author. The superb prose and deep psychological description in Yanagihara’s work is at its best here.

How to talk about this....

This definitely one of the strangest, often confusing, and totally disgusting books I have ever read. I had just finished A LITTLE LIFE by Ms. Yanagihara and immediately wanted to read more of her work. She writes beautifully, no matter the subject she is dealing with.
This book is fiction but based on an actual case, many years ago, in which a Nobel,Prize winner for medicine was convicted and imprisoned for sexual abuse of minors.
In this book, a medical doctor and doctor of anthropology go to the eastern Pacific islands to find a tribe of people who live for 200 yrs or more but, as they grow older, they lose their minds. All this is because of a certain rare species of turtle that is the mainstay of their diets.
Once they meet up with this tribe, they become witness to the tribe’s sexual practices involving children and they are disgusting.
An aside: I don’t know much about the author’s background but in both of her books, she delves heavily into child rape and anal sex and, in both books, it’s particularly shocking to read.
Other than that, it’s a fascinating story, wonderfully written, and sad and shocking right till the last sentence.

A heart wrenching tale

I didn’t know what to expect from this story. My expectations were nonexistent but after getting to the island, I was reeled in and needed to know what was going to happen and where the story was going to go. I had an amazing journey and an amazing experience, especially with the narrators selling every line to me, and despite the distress the ending brought up to me, it was still a tale well told and something I would definitely re-listen to again in the future.

A Gift For My Ears

I realized early in The People in the Trees that I have been stuck in a rut with a string of very mediocre books. My own fault for signing on for a bunch thriller/mystery books that are rarely going to offer any real writing. While reading Hanya Yanigihara I was reminded how much I enjoy true literature over books that just tell a story with no real writing involved. The People in the Trees is so beautifully written (and read by talented actors) I found myself rewinding often just to hear how words were put together. Right after I finished the last chapter I went to my computer and dug deep in the 'people also enjoyed' to compile a new wishlist with Audible. I believe I may actually grow back some of my lost brain cells.

so slow at times but worth it

great writing. story wonderful at times but so, so, so so slow. read it but know it is very frustrating but still worth it.

Hanya Yanagihara is phenomenal!!

What an engrossing listen! 18 hours never flew by so fast before. From the first sentence to the last, tragic, conclusion I was enraptured by this story. The performances were riveting. BD Wong was incredible as always and I now need to find more books read by Mark Bramhall. He had my complete attention. I honestly didn’t see the twist coming at the end and the flow of that last chapter literally made it hard to breathe. I’ve read her other two books so it was nice to kick back and listen to a master storyteller at her best.

Another Ending in Mind?

I started out not liking this book. I didn’t like one reader…his minor lisp I found annoying. That’s honest. I started reading the book itself and I trudged through all of the family history. I did not really enjoy this part. But Once he arrived on Ivu Ivu I got engaged and began listening again. The ending was a disappointment although I expected something that was outside of acceptable norms I felt that the history of the villagers might have provided an ending that was more “understandable “. Trying to be be objective without giving away the novel. Literally stunning however and beautifully written with fully developed characters and I believed these places, people, cultures and animals really existed. Incredible literature.

Amazing but not for everyone

One of the best performances of any audiobook I've listened to but very hard to stomache