Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara

11 reviews

swetha062's review

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

It tells you how far and broken science remains at the hands of those who only intend to abuse. They abuse the nature of everyone around to seem intellectual. The time that people like Norton existed as captured by Hanya also remains as true outside the fictional world as well. I only wish those like Victor and our surrounding some peace and calm from everyone. The book itself remains interesting and veey hard to process as you travel through the eyes of an abuser. But I commend Hanya for the vulnerability showcased in her writing and structuring of this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, and Violence

fkshg8465's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Colonisation, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Medical content, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Racism, Classism, Confinement, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

morimyths's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: Death and Death of parent

orlagal's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Animal death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Child abuse, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical content, Misogyny, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Excrement, Fatphobia, Suicide, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Violence, Vomit, and Xenophobia

maidinnah's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

Audacious and horrifying, yet thrilling, The People in the Trees delves into the life and mind of Dr. Norton Perina, a brilliant, depraved medical researcher armed with terrifying ambition and a deep disregard for life. Yanagihara's detailed, alluring prose explores themes of hubris and abuse on an interpersonal and systemic level, and how figures like Perina become woven into the histories of entire societies. It's moral relativism at its finest -- disturbing, unflinching, and challenging.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Slavery

Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty

Minor: Death of parent

rpg_gf's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.75

Beautifully written and terribly disturbing. Even though you know what’s coming, you still won’t be prepared for that moment. 
A slow read for me personally but I enjoyed it. The world building was exquisitely detailed, and the characters were all well fleshed out. Norton is a well written terrible man from the get go if you’re paying attention.
Not for the faint of heart, and I found myself uneasy at certain parts of the story, but it’s one I won’t soon forget. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Animal death, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Colonisation, Death, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Suicide

Minor: Death of parent and Terminal illness

msefinney's review

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Child abuse, Dementia, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Racism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Excrement, Suicide, Slavery, Body shaming, and Suicidal thoughts

charlottefmason's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Rape, Cultural appropriation, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pedophilia, Deadnaming, Cannibalism, Colonisation, and Death

bookonium's review

challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Moderate: Death of parent and Suicide

Minor: Sexism

burnt_amber89's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

It is hard to say that I loved this book, but I think I did, in a twisted kind of way. At least, I loved to hate it. It took a while to get into the story and even when it gets really good, the book feels long. The first 100 or so pages failed to impress me, but it gets much better later on so hang tight ! At the beginning, we get to follow the main character in his youth. He is particularly unlikable, most situations are rather dull and don't seem to bring anything. Be prepared for some graphic and disturbing descriptions of animal abuse and death, several times throughout the book. 
When the character starts his adventure on the island, however, even through I still found him insufferable (and misogynistic), I thought that the prose and the world-building were absolutely gorgeous, albeit still sprinkled with some graphic details here and there, that sometimes seem a little gratuitous. I loved following their adventures, had gotten really attached to the "dreamers", and could really visualize every plant, flower, creature, character... that the author imagined.
The last part of the novel is enthralling, I really felt strongly simultaneously for and against Vi, and continued to detest Perina, while also understanding, somehow, where he comes from. 
Hanya Yanagihara really has a knack for describing the most dreadful things in a beautiful way that brings out so much emotion in the reader.
I initially thought that the numerous footnotes would be a hassle to read and I thought I would skip them, but I ended up usually really enjoying them. It turned out to be an effective way of adding content and context, even though skipping then probably wouldn't alter the experience either. 
Overall, this is a very unique experience that I would not recommend to anybody, but if you like being challenged, if you want something both unpleasant and gorgeous and if you are ready to tackle the numerous, numerous trigger warnings, then you should probably give it a try. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Suicide

Minor: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Murder, Stalking, and Trafficking