A Review: The Best Kind of People

By Zoe Whittall

I was drawn to this book given its somewhat relatable premise. A highly regarded educator and upstanding citizen has an unthinkable claim made against him. The resulting fallout not only ruins his career but impacts his entire family. The book touches on society’s ability to quickly and harshly judge, especially in this day of social media, without knowing all the facts.

It also touches on society’s willingness to distance themselves from people in their time of need. Although this was a much hyped book, I don’t think the author developed the characters robustly as they developed in stereotypical ways. Whittall also seemed to integrate other societal themes such a homosexuality in a small, narrow-minded town,  or teenagers and drugs without much success.  Arcs like that seemed to be more of an add-on rather than thoughtfully developed throughout the character. As well, the ending seemed to wrap up nicely without spending some time thinking through how events and people would truly evolve. The author had the idea of a great book but unfortunately the writing doesn’t necessarily live up to the idea.If you are going to read it, have realistic expectations and consider it for light reading- on a beach or on a plane!