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The People in the Trees
Cover of The People in the Trees
The People in the Trees
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LONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD, 2014
SHORTLISTED FOR THE KITSCHIES PRIZE, 2014 (GOLD TENTACLE)

The brooding, bold and brilliant first novel from the Man Booker- and Bailey's Prize-shortlisted author of A Little Life.

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 rumoured 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...

LONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD, 2014
SHORTLISTED FOR THE KITSCHIES PRIZE, 2014 (GOLD TENTACLE)

The brooding, bold and brilliant first novel from the Man Booker- and Bailey's Prize-shortlisted author of A Little Life.

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 rumoured 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...

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About the Author-
  • Hanya Yanagihara lives in New York City.

Reviews-
  • Publisher's Weekly

    Starred review from July 29, 2013
    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. Yanagihara balances pulpy adventure tale excitement with serious consideration in unraveling her fantastical premise: a scientist, Norton Perina, discovers an island whose inhabitants may somehow have achieved immortality. Perina sets out on an anthropological mission that became more significant than he could have imagined. His tale raises interesting, if somewhat obvious, ethical questions; what can be justified in the name of science? How far does cultural relativism go? Is immortality really desirable? The book doesn't end with his astounding discovery, though. It continues with seeming banality to recount the predictable progression of academic honors that followed it and the swift and destructive attempt to commercialize Perina's findings. The story of Perina as a man emerges with less show but just as much gruesome fascination as that of his discovery and its results. Evidence of his character worms its way through the book in petulant asides and elided virulence, at first seeming incidental to the plot and then reflecting its moral themes on a small scale. Without making him a simple villain, Yanagihara shows how Perina's extraordinary circumstances allow his smothered weaknesses to blossom horribly. In the end, he reveals the full extent of his loathsomeness explicitly, unashamedly, convinced of his immutable moral right.

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    Atlantic Books
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The People in the Trees
The People in the Trees
Hanya Yanagihara
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