Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - The People in the Trees

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

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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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muccycloud's review against another edition

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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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harryjandrews_99's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

After reading A Little Life just over a year ago and loving it, I was intrigued to read more of Yanagihara’s work. The People In The Trees was a compelling yet awful story and with an unreliable narrator you can’t trust and even despise. It made for a very interesting read, despite its heavy themes, and the thing that I love most about Yanagihara’s work is her ease with which she can make you feel for a character. Whether that be love and pity (as in A Little Life) or despise and hatred (as with The People In The Trees)

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studyholmes's review against another edition

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slow-paced

5.0

this book made me so angry. unreliable narrator^2. this is the fictional autobiography of Norton Perina, MD, Nobel Prize winner, edited by his friend and colleague after Perina is accused of s€xual assault. It details medical discovery, untouched civilisation, and the decimation that greed and colonisation leave behind. Told by two vile people in Yanagihara’s unparalleled, incredible writing, it made me feel physically ill. Five stars.

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