The People in the Trees

An interesting read and at the very least a strong debut. Have to admit I wasn't feeling it at the beginning, and I'm still not sure I was completely sold– maybe it was the (intentionally) authentic-feeling academic prose and structure and some sections feeling duller than they could've been. But it deals with some interesting topics.

It wouldn't have been that interesting if it solely focused on its “immortality is bad because or something” trope that we've seen so many times before (I read a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin in her book Changing Planes recently that also explored this concept in a fascinating matter, 20 years ago), but its anthropological feel, the narrative voice, the structure, scientism, the character development, the imagery, its themes of (neo-)colonialism, racism, the rape of nature, the rape of a people, playing god, the rape of people, ... At times, it also reminded me of the Strugatsky's Hard to Be a God.

I have to say I didn't like the ending all that much, because it showed you something very much in your face that had been hinted at the entire book... For me, it didn't feel at all necessary to then suddenly have the big “reveal”, as if it hadn't been obvious the entire time. Feels like Yanagihara didn't trust us, but since it's a debut I can kind of understand.

Worth a read!