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friendlypoet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Deportation
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Torture and Domestic abuse
amyvl93's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
You People is a novel that covers some serious and important topics, but was one I didn't ever quite find compelling enough to want to really pick up.
The novel is based around a pizza restaurant in London, where the staff are all people looking for a new start. The plot focuses in particular on waitress Nia, who has left her alcoholic mother behind in Wales, and chef Shan, who has fled war in Sri Lanka and is haunted by the guilt of not knowing what has happened to his wife and son. The restaurant is managed by Tuli, an enigmatic character with his fingers in many pies, and the other staff are all also migrants from various parts of the world.
There are some moments in the novel that really highlight, similar to The Beekeeper of Aleppo the experience of those seeking a new life in the UK, legally or not. The raids on businesses by Home Office staff are incredibly evocatively written. However, much of the novel is a bit of a plod through Nia trying to work out how she feels about Tuli's range of work and Shan's day-to-day life. The plot escalates quite dramatically over the final third of the novel and I was slightly unsure about how earned that felt.
Some interesting topics covered here, but there are many other novels that look at similar things in a slightly more accomplished way.
The novel is based around a pizza restaurant in London, where the staff are all people looking for a new start. The plot focuses in particular on waitress Nia, who has left her alcoholic mother behind in Wales, and chef Shan, who has fled war in Sri Lanka and is haunted by the guilt of not knowing what has happened to his wife and son. The restaurant is managed by Tuli, an enigmatic character with his fingers in many pies, and the other staff are all also migrants from various parts of the world.
There are some moments in the novel that really highlight, similar to The Beekeeper of Aleppo the experience of those seeking a new life in the UK, legally or not. The raids on businesses by Home Office staff are incredibly evocatively written. However, much of the novel is a bit of a plod through Nia trying to work out how she feels about Tuli's range of work and Shan's day-to-day life. The plot escalates quite dramatically over the final third of the novel and I was slightly unsure about how earned that felt.
Some interesting topics covered here, but there are many other novels that look at similar things in a slightly more accomplished way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking, War, Alcoholism, Deportation, Domestic abuse, and Xenophobia
lostinthelibrary's review
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was just okay. I have read better books about the immigrant experience and the more interesting themes like the morality of Thuli and the motivations behind his work weren't really explored. Everything seemed quite rushed and surface level despite the important and tense topic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation and Trafficking
Moderate: Alcoholism, Xenophobia, and Infidelity
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