A review by juliacall
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Loveable characters? No

3.75

My first thought, the back of this book is grossly misleading. However, it is Hanga Yanaghara so I really should have known it wouldn’t just be a story about the discovery of a tribe, untouched by modern civilization, who carries the key to immortality. That doesn’t sound nearly traumatic enough! 

Her writing is so immersive and colorful that learning about Micronesia and this iuvuans felt more like watching a documentary than reading a history book (I know it was a memoir but you get what I mean.) However, when her storylines head in a darker direction, it’s still just as immersive and just as colorful. Her writing has a way of filling you up, then leaving you empty at its conclusion. 

I’ll continue reading her books because I really enjoy her writing. But I’m really looking forward to reading something by Yanaghara that has a lighter tone. At this point I can only read her novels every few years, the heaviness is hard to shake off! 
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