The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads synopsis:
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.My Review:
This was an interesting book about what happens to the families of men who are accused of sexual misconduct. George is a school teacher with a perfect life and a perfect family. Then he is accused by several of his students of misconduct. The book details the resultant chaos in sordid detail.
Sadie is George’s teenage daughter. She is torn between devotion to her father, whom she loves, and doubts about the truth of what happened. The father she knows could never do the things he’s accused – but what if he did? Sadie has to deal with her own emotional turmoil along with the backlash from the public. Small town intolerance turns Sadie’s world upside down.
Joan is George’s wife. She is devoted and loyal to a fault. She has to deal with her own disappointments, sadness, anger, betrayal and guilt. How can she also help Sadie deal with her issues?
Andrew is George’s adult son. Andrew knows that his father couldn’t have done this. He believes this without a doubt. When evidence is presented that strongly suggests otherwise, Andrew’s pedestal of trust is shattered. Can he find a way to accept this new version of his father?
The author has superbly written the emotional journeys of George’s family in the aftermath of his accusation. And it is a roller coaster ride covering every possible reaction to the realization that they can’t possibly know everything about anyone. There is a good amount of suspense in the book. As you near the end the suspense becomes more intense – what will happen when George is tried? What will the family do?
I enjoyed reading the book because of the way the characters are written. They are portrayed realistically and dynamically. The story idea is certainly relevant. And the book forces us to realize that there are more victims in these crimes than just the ones who were assaulted. The families have their lives torn apart too.
What I didn’t really enjoy about the book – there was just too much going on. The author tried to include so many different angles that I felt it muddled the story. There is a men’s rights advocacy group in part of the book. And there are some peripheral stories about inappropriate sexual relationships which blur the line of consent. I felt that those additional events also detracted from the story.
I am also not a fan of the ending. This is most likely a feminist reaction – I simply didn’t like the choices the women made. I wouldn’t necessarily argue that it wasn’t a realistic ending – it very likely is – but, for me, it was a disappointment.
With a few exceptions, the writing is overall good. I felt a bit lost in a few places. Towards the end there is a section where Joan is enjoying being lost on her way to the therapist whom she has already been seeing for a while. I was confused – how did she get lost when she’d been there multiple times. Also, why are we being introduced to the therapist at this late stage in the story – the therapist has been mentioned several times already.
Despite these minor problems, I enjoyed the book. It was relatable and thought-provoking. I would recommend it to anyone interested in knowing more about the impact sexual crimes have on the families of the perpetrators.
About the Author:
Zoe Whittall’s latest novel, The Best Kind of People, spent 26 consecutive weeks on the Globe bestseller list, was shortlisted for the Giller Prize, was Indigo Best Book of the Year, Heather’s Pick, Globe and Mail Best Book, Toronto Life Best Book of 2016, Walrus Magazine Best Book of 2016 . The film/TV rights have been optioned by Sarah Polley who will write and direct. She has two previous novels and three collections of poetry, and has written for the televisions shows Degrassi, Schitt’s Creek, and The Baroness Von Sketch Show. She won the KM Hunter award for literature, and a Lamda Literary award for her second novel, Holding Still for as Long as Possible. Her debut, Bottle Rocket Hearts, was named one of the top ten novels of the decade by CBC Canada Reads, and one of the Best Books of 2007 by The Globe and Mail and Quill & Quire magazine. She has published three books of poetry, Precordial Thump, (exile, 08) The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life (McGilligan Books, 01) and The Emily Valentine Poems (Snare Books, 06.) The Globe and Mail called her “the cockiest, brashest, funniest, toughest, most life-affirming, elegant, scruffy, no-holds-barred writer to emerge from Montreal since Mordecai Richler…”. She was born in South Durham, Quebec, resided in Montreal during the early 1990s and has lived in Toronto since 1997.View all my reviews
Advertisements Share this:
