In 1950, Norton Perina, a young doctor, agrees to accompany anthropologist Paul Tallent on an expedition to the remote island of Ivu'ivu in Micronesia, in search of a rumored lost tribe. They succeed: They not only find the tribe but also a group of forest dwellers whom they name "dreamwalkers," who turn out to be exceptionally long-lived but also demented. Perina suspects that the source of their longevity is a rare turtle; unable to resist the possibility of eternal life, he kills a turtle and smuggles its meat into the USA. He scientifically proves his hypothesis, gaining worldwide fame and the Nobel Prize, but soon discovers that this miraculous property comes with a horrific price... PRAISE FOR THE BOOK Power and its abuse are at the heart of this beautifully written debut. Impressive and immensely enjoyable. Guardian Presented in the form of the memoirs of the deeply unlikeable doctor Perina, the book makes the descent into the mind of this intelligent but corrupt man irresistible. And it leaves you with a slight unease that you enjoyed such a bizarre yet excellently told story. The book is a symphony of complex themes made accessible by Yanagihara's pure poetry of writing. Daily Mail Full of suspense. Thanks to Yanagihara's rich, masterful prose, you can't put it down... This is an author worthy of admiration. New York Times