People Like Them

A Novel

De: Samira Sedira, Lara Vergnaud - translator

Narrado por: Susan Nezami

A prizewinning, "riveting" (The New York Times Book Review) psychological suspense novel inspired by a true story about a couple in an insular French village whose lives are upended when a family of outsiders moves in.

“Icy and chilling.... In sharply drawn sentences, Sedira summons the beauty of a small French village, and the shocking acts of the people inside it.” (Flynn Berry, Edgar Award-winning and bestselling author of Under the Harrow and Northern Spy)

“Disturbing and powerful.... I loved it.” (Leila Slimani, bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny)

Anna and Constant Guillot live with their two daughters in the peaceful, remote mountain village of Carmac, largely deaf to the upheavals of the outside world. Everyone in Carmac knows each other, and most of its residents look alike - until Bakary and Sylvia Langlois arrive with their three children.

Wealthy and flashy, the family of five are outsiders in the small town, their impressive chalet and three expensive cars a stark contrast to the modesty of those of their neighbors. Despite their differences, the Langlois and the Guillots form an uneasy, ambiguous friendship. But when both families begin experiencing financial troubles, the underlying class and racial tensions of their relationship come to a breaking point, and the unthinkable happens.

With piercing psychological insight and gripping storytelling, People Like Them asks: How could a seemingly "normal" person commit an atrocious crime? How could that person's loved ones ever come to terms with it afterward? And how well can you really know your own spouse?

©2021 Samira Sedira (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Sedira’s gripping tale ... depicts how the realities of race, class, and socioeconomic status tragically supersede the national ideals of liberty, equality, and brotherhood in an insular French community.” (Booklist)

“Icy and chilling, People Like Them is an investigation both of a crime and of the society that nurtured it. The novel’s precise, vivid writing brings to mind two other knock-outs from France, The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrère and Based on a True Story by Delphine de Vignan. In sharply drawn sentences, Sedira summons the beauty of a small French village, and the shocking acts of the people inside it.” (Flynn Berry, Edgar Award-winning author of Under the Harrow and Northern Spy)

Nice Read

I enjoyed it. The switching back and forth in the scenes sometimes threw me off but I would recommend it.

Disappointing, not recommended

There was great potential here, but the execution fell flat. The characters, the crime's motive, and the contributing factors were not fully developed, in my opinion.