The Best Kind of People

July 31, 2017
Challenging the traditional crime story narrative, Whittal focuses on the aftershocks of a crime not from the victim’s perspective, but that of the family of the accused. Beloved by the community of Avalon Hills and revered as a teacher and hero, George Woodbury is arrested for sexual misconduct and attempted rape involving his students. His wife, Joan, and their daughter, Sadie, are paralyzed by shock, denial, and confusion. Eldest son Andrew, a lawyer in New York City, comes to his father’s defense, staunchly protesting the accusations against him. As months pass readers witness the psychological destruction of the family. Shunned by the community, tormented by threats and taunts, and trapped in a pattern of supporting their patriarch despite uncertainties regarding his innocence, each member of the family is ill-equipped to move forward. Sadie succumbs to apathy and anxiety, using drugs as an escape. Andrew is consumed by memories of his youth as a gay teen. Joan is unable to reconcile her conflicting feelings of loyalty and rage towards her husband. The prose is conversational; the reactions predictable; the ending hurried. Some plotlines don’t work, but Whittal brings realism and humanity to the story.

July 15, 2017
"Imagine the person you love and trust becoming a different person overnight. What would you do?" After perpetual Teacher of the Year winner and local "man of distinction" George Woodbury is arrested on multiple charges of sexual misconduct with minors, his wife and children are forced to answer just that question.Science teacher Woodbury first hit the headlines nearly a decade earlier, when he disarmed a man with a rifle who had entered Avalon Hills prep school with murder in mind. Now, George has become an instant media sensation all over again, this time following the accusations of several female pupils. Having swiftly and unfussily set up this scenario, Canadian novelist Whittall (The Middle Ground, 2010, etc.) chooses to focus not on the alleged crimes but on the repercussions on George's family: wife Joan, a nurse; bright daughter Sadie, 17; and son Andrew, a lawyer with a boyhood history of being bullied at Avalon. George's perspective is not included, leaving an obvious vacuum at the heart of the story. Instead Whittall gives voice to the range of sympathy and suspicion from friends and colleagues in this comfortable middle-class community, as well as more extreme responses, like the man who shows up at Joan's house wearing a "Justice for Men and Boys" T-shirt, telling her, "It's the feminists who are going to ruin your husband's life, you know." Joan joins a support group to help deal with the loss of a happy life and beloved partner--all now in the past, whatever the future brings--while Sadie makes her own journey from innocence to experience via a family friend who is secretly writing a novel based on the events. After the novel's busy opening section, the pace slows to allow for the characters' shifts in feeling, eventually reaching a diffused conclusion that makes the memorable point that a story like this never ends. A humane, cleareyed attempt to explore the ripple effects of sexual crime.

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August 1, 2017
Shortlisted for Canada's Giller Prize, Whittall's (Holding Still for as Long as Possible, 2010) newest novel portrays Connecticut science teacher George Woodbury. Not only is he the type who would hypothetically risk his life to save a child but he actually tackled a gunman and saved an entire school full of children. Years later, when several girls at the same school accuse him of attempted rape, the town and Woodbury's family, including his teenage daughter, are thrown into chaos. The facts surrounding the question of Woodbury's guilt or innocence take a backseat to an exploration of the various legal and illegal ways adults mistreat children, rape culture, and how differently people react to a difficult situation. At times, some of Whittall's characters seem to be reciting theoretical positions more than reacting to the situation, but the diversity of opinion on what might have happened and who is to blame will make for thoughtful consideration and conversation, pegging this as a perfect book-club choice.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 22, 2018
Campbell is a seasoned narrator with a lovely, lilting tone who creates easily recognized voices and mannerisms for the diverse characters in Whittall’s latest. Joan’s husband George is universally admired as an upstanding member of his community, as perpetual teacher of the year, and as a hero who saved his daughter and other children from a gun-wielding maniac. Then, suddenly, George lands in jail. He is alleged to have sexually abused more than one of the girls in his daughter’s high school class. Campbell hooks listeners in the gruesome swings between denial and rage experienced by George’s wife, Joan, his daughter, Sadie, and his son, Andrew. At times the characterization of Joan sounds too whiny for a character who otherwise comes across as a strong woman. Nevertheless, Campbell carries listeners convincingly and sympathetically through each family member’s struggle to come to terms with George’s culpability. A Ballantine hardcover.

Starred review from September 1, 2017

Accusations of sex crimes with students send local hero and former teacher of the year George Woodbury and his family into a spiral of disruption and psychological damage that changes their lives forever. The wealthy Woodburys, pillars of the community, are rocked to the core, as no one truly knows whether George is innocent or guilty. His wife, Joan, stumbles through denial, anger, rage, and finally a degree of acceptance with the help of her work as a trauma nurse, her therapist, and a support group. Daughter Sadie, 17, escapes to her boyfriend's house, where she numbs her pain with marijuana and lots of sex. Older son Andrew struggles to support his father while reliving the ostracism he suffered when he came out as gay in their small, close-knit community. Whittall's writing is so strong and heartfelt that readers will wonder how such a young writer is able to offer this depth of emotion and psychological insight. This Giller Prize finalist is the Canadian author's first work to be published in the United States. VERDICT Sure to provoke debate and send book discussion groups into overtime.--Lisa Rohrbaugh, Leetonia Community P.L., OH

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