Review: The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall Source: Hardcopy courtesy of Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press. Thank you! Publication: August 27, 2016 by House of Anansi Press Verdict: Very Good/Excellent Book Description: What if someone you trusted was accused of the unthinkable? George Woodbury, an affable teacher and beloved husband and father, is arrested for sexual impropriety at a prestigious prep school. His wife, Joan, vaults between denial and rage as the community she loved turns on her. Their daughter, Sadie, a popular over-achieving high school senior, becomes a social pariah. Their son, Andrew, assists in his father’s defense, while wrestling with his own unhappy memories of his teen years. A local author tries to exploit their story, while an unlikely men’s rights activist attempts to get Sadie onside their cause. With George locked up, how do the members of his family pick up the pieces and keep living their lives? How do they defend someone they love while wrestling with the possibility of his guilt? With exquisite emotional precision, award-winning author Zoe Whittall explores issues of loyalty, truth, and the meaning of happiness through the lens of an all-American family on the brink of collapse. Recently longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Zoe Whittall’s The Best Kind of People was featured on my must reads for Fall 2016 series. As with some of my favourite Canadian authors- Miriam Toews and Mary Lawson to name but two- Whittall […]

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