Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Best Kind of People: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Best Kind of People: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Best Kind of People: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Best Kind of People: A Novel

    Written by Zoe Whittall

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A local schoolteacher is arrested, leaving his family to wrestle with the possibility of his guilt, in this exquisite novel about loyalty, truth, and happiness.

    The Woodburys cherish life in the affluent, bucolic suburb of Avalon Hills, Connecticut. George is a beloved science teacher at the local prep school, a hero who once thwarted a gunman, and his wife, Joan, is a hardworking ER nurse. They have brought up their children in this thriving town of wooded yards and sprawling lakes.

    Then one night a police car pulls up to the Woodbury home and George is charged with sexual misconduct with students from his daughter's school. As he sits in prison awaiting trial and claiming innocence, Joan vaults between denial and rage as friends and neighbors turn cold. Their daughter, seventeen-year-old Sadie, is a popular high school senior who becomes a social outcast—and finds refuge in an unexpected place. Her brother, Andrew, a lawyer in New York, returns home to support the family, only to confront unhappy memories from his past. A writer tries to exploit their story, while an unlikely men's rights activist group attempts to recruit Sadie for their cause.

    Provocative and unforgettable, The Best Kind of People reveals the cracks along the seams of even the most perfect lives and the unraveling of an American family.

    Finalist for the Giller Prize

    "[Zoe] Whittall's intuitive understanding of human nature makes The Best Kind of People a gripping novel, one that shines a light on family dynamics under extreme pressure."—The Vancouver Sun

    "Whittall's undisputed talent as a writer shines, as does her understanding into the complexity of our sympathies, our morality, and our humanity. 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

    "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."—Kate Harding, author of Asking for It

    "A timely discussion of what we owe those who abuse and those who are targeted in our communities."—Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman

    "This may just be Whittall's breakout novel, and deservedly so."—The Winnipeg Review

    "Taut, compassionate and clever."—Toronto Star
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 19, 2017
    ISBN9780525494133
    Unavailable
    The Best Kind of People: A Novel
    Author

    Zoe Whittall

    ZOE WHITTALL is the author of five novels, including the recent bestseller The Fake, which was longlisted for the Toronto Book Award. The New York Times called her fourth novel The Spectacular, “a highly readable testament to the strength of the maternal bond.” Her third novel The Best Kind of People was shortlisted for The Scotiabank-Giller Prize. Her second novel Holding Still for as Long as Possible won a Lambda Award, and was an American Library Association’s Stonewall Honor Book. Her debut novel Bottle Rocket Hearts won the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Dayne Ogilvie prize. She is also a Canadian Screen Award winning TV writer. She lives in Prince Edward County.  

    Related to The Best Kind of People

    Related audiobooks

    Literary Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Five Of The Best Books Of 2021

      Dec 24, 2021

      The novels, nonfiction, and memoirs that stood out most: Your weekly guide to the best in books

      4 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Anjali Enjeti

      Dec 2, 2021

      If the pandemic had a theme, it would be that time is slippery, that our memories serve as life jackets in an uncertain world, and that our letters to others are really letters to our lonely, broken selves. The post A Year in Reading: Anjali Enjeti a

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Books Briefing: The Best Books of 2020

      Dec 25, 2020

      Our favorite titles from a year that has highlighted the particularities of that thing called reading: Your weekly guide to the best in books

      4 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Cline, Gyasi, Biss, Ferrante, and More

      Sep 1, 2020

      This week brings new books by Emma Cline, Yaa Gyasi, Eula Biss, and Elene Ferrante. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Cline, Gyasi, Biss, Ferrante, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Smith, Jones, Jemc, Dancyger, Marantz

      Oct 8, 2019

      Zadie Smith headlines a new week of new books, including essays by angry women and an excellent exploration of the rise of the online alt-right. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Smith, Jones, Jemc, Dancyger, Marantz appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Emezi, Ellmann, Barkan, Donoghue, Atwood, and More

      Sep 10, 2019

      It's the rare week that delivers new writing from Margaret Atwood, Amitav Ghosh, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and beloved medieval Persian poet Rumi. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Emezi, Ellmann, Barkan, Donoghue, Atwood, and More appeared fi

      6 min read

    • Article

      8 LGBTQ+ Novels To get Stuck Into This Pride season

      Jun 17, 2022

      Us queers know that reading is fundamental, and in recent years there’s been a breadth of rich, insightful, entertaining and emotional LGBTQ+ literature for get stuck into. If you’re looking for a good read this Pride Month, there’s a massive array o

      4 min read

    • Article

      A New Short-Story Collection Imagines a Texas Town’s Secession

      Jul 1, 2020

      “THERE WASN’T ANYTHING SPECIAL ABOUT US,” SAYS THE COLLECTIVE narrator of the title story in Matthew Baker’s Why Visit America. “We were just an average town. Porch swings, wading pools, split-rail fences, pumpjacks bobbing for oil on the horizon.” ¶

      4 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Morrison, Black, Haigh, and More

      Feb 1, 2022

      Some notable titles hitting shelves this week include debuts from Julia May Jonas and Brandon Slocumb. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Morrison, Black, Haigh, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Alone with Kindred

      Sep 1, 2023

      Alone with Kindred
      12 min read

    • Article

      The Atlantic 10

      Dec 13, 2022

      The Atlantic 10
      7 min read

    • Article

      In 'Afterland,' A World (Mostly) Without Men: Questions For Lauren Beukes

      Aug 5, 2020

      Lauren Beukes' new novel is set in a near future where a virus has killed off most of the men on Earth, and one woman is racing to free her young, immune son from the government and get him to safety.

      6 min read

    • Article

      'Dread Nation' Is A Rollicking 'Gone With The Wind + Zombies' Adventure

      Apr 20, 2018

      But don't underestimate the latest YA novel by activist Justina Ireland – it's also a biting commentary on contemporary race relations in America.

      3 min read

    • Article

      'Uncensored' Tells Of A Difficult Passage Between Black And White, Poor And Rich

      Jun 25, 2018

      Zachary Wood, famed for promoting controversial speakers at Williams College, tells the story of his own painful transitions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Hamid, Gavino, Marra, and More

      Aug 2, 2022

      Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from Mohsin Hamid, our own Kate Gavino, Anthony Marra, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read our most recent book preview. Want to help The

      6 min read

    • Article

      The 15 Best Books of 2020

      Dec 24, 2020

      The 15 Best Books of 2020
      10 min read

    • Article

      The 19 Best Books of 2018

      Dec 26, 2018

      The 19 Best Books of 2018
      13 min read

    • Article

      The Equality of Shame: On ‘The Heart’s Invisible Furies’ by John Boyne

      Aug 30, 2017

      With intricate, narrative precision, The Heart’s Invisible Furies cuts to the heart of what family is, how it is chosen, and how it endures. The post The Equality of Shame: On ‘The Heart’s Invisible Furies’ by John Boyne appeared fi

      4 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Ford, Arnett, St. Aubyn, and More

      Jun 1, 2021

      This week we're looking at new titles from Ashley C. Ford, Kristin Arnett, and Edward St. Aubyn. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Ford, Arnett, St. Aubyn, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Shortlist

      May 14, 2021

      Twin sisters growing up in a black community in the American South run away at age 16, then separate and end up living in two very different worlds. It’s not just their living circumstances that differ but also their racial identities as the one sist

      2 min read

    Reviews for The Best Kind of People

    3.5/5

    2 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words