"Anna and Constant Guillot live with their two daughters in the peaceful, remote mountain village of Carmac ... 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 with the modesty of those of their neighbors. Despite their differences, the Langlois and the Guillots form an uneasy, ambiguous ...
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"Anna and Constant Guillot live with their two daughters in the peaceful, remote mountain village of Carmac ... 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 with 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"--
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Add this copy of People Like Them: a Novel to cart. $2.63, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Penguin Books.
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Add this copy of People Like Them to cart. $2.65, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Penguin Books.
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People Like Them is beautifully written and credit should be given not only to author Samira Sedira but to translator Lara Verngnaud for sweeping imagery which really captured the atmosphere of the small French village that the novel is set in.
The plot alternates perspective from present day in the courtroom of a homicide case to flashbacks of Anna and Constant's life. The story is based on a true tale of a family homicide in which the media neglected to pick up on the fact that the deceased family were black and residing in a small, white French community where foreigners were treated with mistrust. Although there are elements of racism explored here, financial scams and friendship are also heavily at the forefront of the narrative which made it hard to work out who to empathise with at times!
The story is very short - I finish it in a day but it does hit hard and keeps your interest throughout. There is something about it which stops it from becoming completely engaging though, you feel as though you are kept almost at arm's length. I'm not sure if this is because of the translation or the fact that it is based on a true story and so the author is being careful with the narrative but something about it just doesn't invite you fully in. I think the story could have been padded out a little to help with this - one issue could be that the plot is only told from one perspective in flashback and a few more character perspectives might have helped to flesh the story out and bring it to life.
Overall, People Like Them is a beautifully written plot based on a true story - it's just a shame the reader is kept at arm's length throughout. Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Raven Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
