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The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall's novel was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2016.

Zoe Whittall

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 they pick up the pieces and keep living their lives? How do you defend someone you love while wrestling with the possibility of their guilt? (From House of Anansi)

The Best Kind of People was a finalist for the 2016 ScotiabankGiller Prize.

From the book

For months Joan would replay this moment, trying to decipher the look on her husband's face. Was it guilt? Confusion? Indignation? Stoicism? Acting? But nothing, not even a revolving camera of omniscience, a floating momentary opportunity to narrate, would allow anyone to truly understand the truth about George. He became a hard statue, an obstacle, a symbol.


From The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall 2016. Published by House of Anansi.

Interviews

Zoe Whittall on her latest book.

Other books by Zoe Whittall