The People in the Trees

A strikingly original first novel, from the author of A Little Life.

In 1950 Norton Perina, a young doctor, embarks on an expedition to a remote Micronesian island in search of a rumoured lost tribe. There he encounters a strange group of forest dwellers who appear to have attained a form of immortality that preserves the body but not the mind. Perina uncovers their secret and returns with it to America, where he soon finds great success. But his discovery has come at a terrible cost, not only for the islanders, but for Perina himself.

Hanya Yanagihara's The People in the Trees marked the debut of a remarkable voice in American fiction.


Part of the Picador Collection, a new series showcasing the best of modern literature.

Review

The world Yanagihara conjures up, full of dark pockets of mystery, is magical. ― The Times

Impossible to resist ― Daily Mail

Absorbing, intelligent and uncompromising ― Independent

Power and its abuses are at the heart of this richly imagined novel . . . In structure and subject, The People in the Trees pays tribute to Vladimir Nabokov's two masterpieces: Pale Fire and Lolita . . . Perina's voice – wry, superior, unthinkingly cruel – is one of the key triumphs of the book. -- Katie Kitamura ― The Guardian

Dazzling . . . A triumph of the imagination -- Anthony Doerr

An engrossing, beautifully detailed, at times amazing (and shocking) novel . . . I loved this book. -- Paul Theroux

Suspenseful . . . Yanagihara is a writer to marvel at. ― The New York Times

A standout novel, a debut as thrilling as it is disturbing ― The Wall Street Journal

Captivating and thoroughly unsettling ― Vogue

About the Author

Hanya Yanagihara is the author of the internationally bestselling A Little Life. She lives in New York City.