Good People

By Patmeena Sabit

Book Overview

"A thrilling tour de force of a novel. I'll be recommending this book to everyone."--ANN PATCHETT
" A] gorgeous and powerful debut."--TOMMY ORANGE, The New York Times
"A stunning read."--KHALED HOSSEINI
"Utterly addictive, Good People will have everyone talking."--PAULA HAWKINS

In a haunting debut novel that reads like true crime, told through a kaleidoscope of perspectives, a private tragedy thrusts one family into the court of public opinion as the media--and their own community--dissect every aspect of their lives.

ONE OF THE NEW YORKER'S BEST BOOKS OF 2026 SO FAR

Zorah Sharaf could do no wrong. Zorah Sharaf brought shame upon her family. What's the truth? Depends on who you ask.

The Sharaf family is the picture of success. Prosperous, rich, happy. They came to this country as refugees with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. And now, after years of hard work, they live in the most exclusive neighborhood, their growing family attending the most prestigious schools. Zorah, the eldest daughter, is the apple of her father's eye.

When an unthinkable tragedy strikes, everyone is left reeling. There is talk that behind closed doors the Sharafs' happy household was anything but. Did the Sharaf family achieve the American dream? Or was the image of the model immigrant family just a fa ade?

Like a literary game of ping-pong, Good People compels the reader to reconsider what might have happened even on the previous page. It's a riveting, provocative story of family--sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and the communities that claim us as family in difficult times.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593801067
• ISBN13: 9780593801062
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.2" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Bit of slow pacing and repetitive structure held it back a bit for me.

Talk about a debut book. Good People is a mystery thriller about an immigrant family that, by all measures, achieved the American Dream. The story is told through outside perspectives in an interview-style format. Not my first book in this format (The MANIAC), but still an interesting read. What worked best for me was the collection of viewpoints. Everyone has a different version of the family and some voices are clearly more trustworthy than others. It made me question some characters and their viewpoints. The book does a good job leaving you suspicious from page to page. It also brings together a lot of strong themes. The American Dream, the immigrant experience, identity, family pressure, and what it means to belong in a new country. It's definitely a slow burn. There were moments where the number of narrators became a little hard to keep up with. The interview format was interesting, but it also made some parts of the book feel repetitive and it took a while to get to the action. Still, once the story started moving, things became much more engaging. A thoughtful debut by Patmeena Sabit with a strong premise. Even if the pacing did not always fully work for me. 3/5.