The People in the Trees

Those who loved STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett will find much to admire in this title, which is part mystery and part medical adventure focusing on a doctor, an anthropologist, and the natives of a Micronesian island who exhibit unusual longevity. The use of three narrators is an interesting choice for this book, which is told in epistolary style, mixed with press clippings, and multiple points of view. Erin Yuen's clipped diction, sharp tones, and slightly mechanical vocals provide the clinical tone for the medical parts of the story. The masculine voices work well to portray the two cultured, reasoned academics, characterizations that are essential to keep the reader guessing whether or not the doctor is guilty of the various vile deeds attributed to him. M.R. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Starred review from July 29, 2013
Driven by Yanagihara's gorgeously complete imaginary ethnography on the one hand and, on the other, by her brilliantly detestable narrator, this debut novel is compelling on every levelâmorally, aesthetically, and narratively. Yanagihara balances pulpy adventure tale excitement with serious consideration in unraveling her fantastical premise: a scientist, Norton Perina, discovers an island whose inhabitants may somehow have achieved immortality. Perina sets out on an anthropological mission that became more significant than he could have imagined. His tale raises interesting, if somewhat obvious, ethical questions; what can be justified in the name of science? How far does cultural relativism go? Is immortality really desirable? The book doesn't end with his astounding discovery, though. It continues with seeming banality to recount the predictable progression of academic honors that followed it and the swift and destructive attempt to commercialize Perina's findings. The story of Perina as a man emerges with less show but just as much gruesome fascination as that of his discovery and its results. Evidence of his character worms its way through the book in petulant asides and elided virulence, at first seeming incidental to the plot and then reflecting its moral themes on a small scale. Without making him a simple villain, Yanagihara shows how Perina's extraordinary circumstances allow his smothered weaknesses to blossom horribly. In the end, he reveals the full extent of his loathsomeness explicitly, unashamedly, convinced of his immutable moral right.