Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The People in the Trees

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara

212 reviews

allegrayr00's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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graecus_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

okay so this book took me an absolute hot minute to read but i feel like the more that this book sits with me the more i’ll end up liking it. i really like the way that the book was structured with the footnotes, and the postscript was actually wild. the writing was gorgeous (what else were we expecting from hanya yanagihara), and i fell like norton’s voice really added to the reading experience. overall the book was wild and i am a fan

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book saved itself with the ending. Most of it is tedious and frankly, not very good. What made it worth the four stars, though, were the themes, the narrator’s psyche, and the level of cringiness. It was highly evocative. So the words used didn’t matter to me in the end. The truth that’s finally revealed and the long and arduous, continued downward rollercoaster spiral that I had to ride the entire time is what makes this book worth my four stars.

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shiftyelliott's review

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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nils_0's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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partybonus's review against another edition

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challenging sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I do notttt recommend! It is a trigger warning minefield and full of really wretched moments. The lush rainforest backdrop and descriptions of the scenery belong in a travel guide which is what I think this writer was before they became a writer. I wish I hadn’t read it. It haunted me and I am not interested in shockingly violent and horrendous situations in books anymore, especially when there is zero reason for it. Stay away!

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xshu1's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was a wild ride. Full of thought provoking moments and a representation of how colonialism occurs, the dark side of science and the deep dive into the white superiority complex.

nah but for real the plot was okay. it was a good medium to talk about the effects of colonialism and how it happens. Hanya really seems to be good at writing things from the perspective of men. The twisted mind of the main character was well fleshed out. The setting was amazingly thought out.
However the writing and pace at times were painstakingly long, and the amount of unnecessary information had me itching to try not to skip paragraphs/pages ahead
The only saving grace here is Ms Yanagihara's beautiful, spectacular and amazing writing. The writing is absolutely CARRYING my rating. The diction is simply *chefs kiss*. I could get lost in this world any day.

Its so interesting how the editor of Norton's biography (Dr Kubodera) was so infatuated with him that he was willing to look past such a heinous crime (child sexual assault) and Norton's clear affinity towards touching children. Even more, he was willing to omit it to the reader in order to highlight Norton's "wit, his intelligence, his passion and compassion" so that it "will be the things the reader remembers from this account, will be the things that define him in history".
*pikachu face*
Norton is borderline a narcissist yall. He single handedly destroyed a native population, a species of animal, his children's lives and Victor's life. And they gave him 2 years in Jail.
Also Yanagihara's portrayal of women rub me the wrong way. But it could be a realistic portrayal of what men often think of women, which is with disdain.

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mtmarriott's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Not quite as emotionally impactful as A Little Life but still a deeply interesting take on colonialism, science and cancel culture (before cancel culture was really a pop culture term), it reminded me of a hybrid of TÁR and The Lost City of Z. Usually these stories revolve around media personalities or artists so having the main character be not only a scientist but one who has discovered a truly Earth-shattering thing as the secret to immortality is really fascinating. It also gives Norton’s rise and fall a semi-Faustian quality, turning his greatest achievement into something that imprisons him literally and spiritually. Hanya Yanagihara writes first person narratives quite unlike anyone else I’ve read, she’s about to convey the most disturbed and chilling mindsets with such simplicity and ease that you perfectly understand her character’s beliefs even if they are deeply warped. I’d recommend The Genius and The Boys (a documentary about Daniel Carleton Gadjusek who inspired the Norton Perina character) to anyone who has read this or wants to read it.

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muccycloud's review

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dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I hated this book but I also could not stop reading it. The main character is deplorable, horrific, I would not choose to read this again. I kind of want to scrub it from my brain. But it was well written and despite it being horrific felt the need to finish it.

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luckyblackcat's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Deeply upsetting—left me physically nauseous and exhausted as Yanagihara often does. BUT the best writing about turtles you’ll ever find. If all Yanagihara did was write about turtles & tortoises she would be the greatest literary voice of our time, as it is, she may not be the writer we want, but she is the writer we deserve. Not not worth your time… but prepare yourself for some raging & ranging post-read, prepare your friends for the rants..

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