Title: My Kind of People
Author: Lisa Duffy
Published: May 2020, Atria Books
Format: ARC E-copy, 336 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
From the author of The Salt House and This Is Home
comes a profound novel about the power of community and a small town’s
long-buried secrets as a group of New England islanders come together
for a recently orphaned girl.
On Ichabod Island, a jagged
strip of land thirteen miles off the coast of Massachusetts,
ten-year-old Sky becomes an orphan for the second time after a tragic
accident claims the lives of her adoptive parents.
Grieving the
death of his best friends, Leo’s life is turned upside down when he
finds himself the guardian of young Sky. Back on the island and
struggling to balance his new responsibilities and his marriage to his
husband, Leo is supported by a powerful community of neighbors, many of
them harboring secrets of their own.
Maggie, who helps with
Sky’s childcare, has hit a breaking point with her police chief husband,
who becomes embroiled in a local scandal. Her best friend Agnes, the
island busybody, invites Sky’s estranged grandmother to stay for the
summer, straining already precarious relationships. Their neighbor Joe
struggles with whether to tell all was not well in Sky’s house in the
months leading up to the accident. And among them all is a mysterious
woman, drawn to Ichabod to fulfill a dying wish.
Perfect for fans of Celeste Ng and Ann Leary, My Kind of People is a riveting, impassioned novel about the resilience of community and what connects us all in the face of tragedy.
My thoughts: This is the third book I’ve read by Lisa Duffy and I really believe her books just get better and better. This is another book that I found myself completely captivated with right now…another book that just fed my soul and I think that right now these are the types of books that I need.
This book will push all your emotions and I loved that. The different characters go through a range of emotions throughout this book and I could feel that coming off the pages. It always amazes me that an author can evoke such strong ranges of emotions through the written word and Lisa Duffy is clearly a master at this.
I loved the characters, some that I immediately took an instant dislike to but eventually warmed up to, and some I loved right off the bat. Each of these characters had their own challenges they were facing, which makes them all so real and relatable. As we get to know them and understand their challenges, you can’t help feel for them and want to see them find some way to overcome their obstacles.
There are secrets and hot button topics that are featured in this story, but they are not what drive this story. Rather, it is the way the neighborhood comes together to care for and help this little girl who has seen so much upheaval in her short life. It really plays on the adage, “it takes a village” and it is so appropriate here.
This is one of those books that I became so invested in the characters and the story that I did not want it to end. I could not put this book down and enjoyed every minute I spent with these characters. I highly recommend picking up this book – it might be an emotional read, but it was totally worth it!
About the author: Lisa Duffy is the author of The Salt House, named by Real Simple as a Best Book of the Month upon its June release, as well as Bustle’s 17 Best Debut Novels by Women in 2017 and This Is Home, a favorite book club pick. Lisa received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Massachusetts. Her writing can be found in numerous publications, including Writer’s Digest. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and three children. My Kind of People is her third novel.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
PRE-ORDER:
MY KIND OF PEOPLE By Lisa Duffy
Atria Books
On Sale: May 12, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9821-3715-1
$17.00
