“Heartbreaking and complex, The Best Kind of People offers no easy answers. This is a masterly exploration of the damage an entire community incurs when the secret at the heart of its most perfect family detonates.” — Lynn Coady author of The Antagonist
“The Best Kind of People examines the effects of rape culture on an entire community with rare nuance and insight. Every character is fully rounded, flawed, and achingly human. It puts me in mind of a twenty-first-century Ordinary People — which, for the record, is one of my favourite novels.” — Kate Harding, author of Asking For It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture — and What We Can Do About It
“With incredibly rare nuance, sensitivity, and insight, Zoe Whittall takes us deep into our contemporary conversation around sexual violence and shines a vital spotlight on the individuals and communities that live in its long shadow. Whittall’s undisputed talent as a writer shines, as does her understanding into the complexity of our sympathies, our morality, and our humanity. With The Best Kind of People, Whittall has created an urgent and timely document, one that asks us to reflect on how we can best serve survivors of abuse and best support all of those who exist in its aftermath. With incredible empathy, and undeniable skill, this book is sure to spark much needed dialogue, vital debate, and richly deserved acclaim.” — Stacey May Fowles, author of Infidelity
“Zoe Whittall's novel gets into the hearts and minds of an ordinary family forced to confront the monstrous. There are no heroes and no villains in this world — there are only people grappling with guilt and truth. This novel is a timely discussion of what we owe those who abuse and those who are targeted in our communities. It's a compelling exploration of the ways a crime implicates all of us.” — Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman
“Whittall places the reader right at the centre of their pain. It’s the best depiction of female suffering I’ve read since Jane Smiley eloquently tackled sexual abuse in A Thousand Acres.” — Toronto Star“Nuanced to the end, Whittall’s novel achieves something that’s rare in real-life cases of sexual violence. She gives a voice to the ones we never hear from: those who are collateral damage.” — Chatelaine
“Toronto author Zoe Whittall’s new novel The Best Kind of People is the best kind of book — it’s got a compelling story, characters readers will recognize and come to love, and writing that makes it effortless to turn page after page.” — Vancouver Sun
“Fast-paced … but never melodramatic.” — Maclean’s
“Exquisitely emotional.” — Owen Sound Sun Times
“An astounding portrait of a character by omission.” — National Post
“Whittall raises her game dramatically in this Giller-shortlisted novel.” — NOW Magazine
“A story like this never ends… . A humane, clear eyed attempt to explore the ripple effects of sexual crime.” — Kirkus Reviews
