58 pages • 1 hour read
Hanya YanagiharaThe People in the Trees
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara is a fictional memoir of Dr. Abraham Norton Perina, a Nobel Prize-winning virologist who uncovers the fictional Selene Syndrome, a disease causing physical immortality but mental decline. Set largely in the fictional Micronesian nation of U’ivu, Norton’s memoir, edited by his colleague Dr. Ronald Kubodera, recounts his exploration, scientific breakthroughs, and ultimate imprisonment for the sexual assault of one of his adopted sons. This novel contains descriptions of sexual assault, child sexual abuse, suicide, cultural exploitation, and colonialism.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Hanya Yanagihara's The People in the Trees is praised for its bold narrative and complex characters, exploring themes of morality and scientific ethics. However, some critics find the protagonist's lack of redemption troubling and the dense scientific jargon off-putting. Overall, the novel is seen as intellectually challenging and thought-provoking, but divisive.
Who Should Read The People in the Trees?
Readers who relish intricate narratives of moral complexity, reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go or Donna Tartt's The Secret History, will appreciate Hanya Yanagihara's The People in the Trees. This novel appeals to those who enjoy literary fiction with rich character studies and ethical quandaries, set against exotic backdrops.