#BookReview of #GoodPeople by Patmeena Sabit

‘Zorah Sharaf could do no wrong. Zorah Sharaf brought shame upon her family.
What’s the truth? Depends on who you ask.‘
– Good People

[ About Good People ]

EVERYONE THINKS THEY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED . . .

The Sharaf family is the picture of success. They arrived in America as refugees with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. And now, after years of hard work, they live in the most exclusive neighbourhood, their growing family attending the most prestigious schools. Zorah, the eldest daughter, is the apple of her father’s eye.

But when Zorah dies in an unthinkable tragedy, the family is thrust into the court of public opinion. There is talk that the Sharafs’ happy household was anything but, and soon the veneer of the model immigrant family starts to crumble.

Those who knew her best – and those who never met her – all have an opinion on who Zorah really was, and what really happened to her . . .

Told through the chorus of voices surrounding the Sharafs, Good People is a riveting, provocative and unforgettable story of community, family and identity.

[ My Review ]

Good People by Patmeena Sabit will publish February 12th with Virago (available now in digital format). Chosen as a 2026 must-read book by The Guardian, Sunday Times, Stylist, Sunday Independent, New Arab and BBC Culture Good People is described as a ‘kaleidoscopic, urgent narrative…a provocative debut from an exciting new voice’.

Sometimes a book grabs the attention of many and it is for very good reason. Patmeena Sabit was born in Kabul, fleeing the regime with her family, living as a refugee for a number of years. She eventually grew up in Virginia where she now sets her debut.

Zorah Sharaf tragically dies and the investigation into her death results in a mixed bag of very skewed viewpoints from across the community and beyond. Lets go back…

Zorah was the second born child of Maryam and Rahmat Sharaf. Her older brother Omer was born in Afghanistan, before they fled the country for a new start in America. Settling in Virginia, Rahmat was determined his children would have a better life than he had. He worked hard, eventually developing a very successful business, and becoming a wealthy man. His family wanted for nothing, with Rahmat having ambitions for his children to become part of the American dream as doctors and lawyers. With Omer, Zorah, and their two younger siblings, Maryam was kept busy working in the home, keeping the household running smoothly, while Rahmat travelled for business.

Zorah was born an American citizen but was part of the Afghan culture so she struggled to make space for herself and her independence. There were restrictions placed on her social activities with varied perspectives on how free she actually was. She was considered by many outside of the community as a ‘stunning Afghan beauty’ but to her friends and neighbours she was just Zorah. Spirited in personality but, bar one particular teenage rebellious phase, she was well-liked by most of her peers.

Following her untimely death, attitudes and memories altered and suddenly folk had various opinions on the Sharaf family. Where once people applauded Rahmat Sharaf’s ingenuity and wealth, they now considered him uneducated and bullish. Speculation about Zorah and Omer was rife and rumours spread like wildfire as the gossipmongers went to work.

Trial by the public is something we regularly witness online but Patmeena Sabit takes it to a whole new level with this ingenious and provocative tale. Told through the POV of multiple characters the reader is given an almost voyeuristic view of life in the Sharaf family. With an ensemble of different voices, it is difficult to know who or what to believe at any given time. This absolutely fascinating approach really gives this debut an edge, leaving the reader pondering and quite speechless after turning the final page. Patmeena Sabit will strike a chord with her words exposing the ugliness of our cancel culture and the harm that certain publicly expressed opinions can have. Racism, culture, greed, jealousy and so much more are all themes explored in this demanding debut. Good People is a staggeringly powerful story that expertly highlights the split in modern society and between our different cultures. A very disconcerting read. A very important read.

‘For good people name is everything’

[ Thank you to Virago/Little Brown Book Group UK for a copy of Good people in exchange for my honest review ]

[ Bio ]

Patmeena Sabit was born in Kabul a few years after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. When she was a month old, her family fled the conflict and became refugees in Pakistan, joining the millions of other Afghans that had sought refuge there. They later moved to the United States and she grew up in Virginia.
She currently lives in Toronto. 
Good People is her debut novel.