Two Black writers are trying to find peace and belonging in a world that is riven with gun violence. One is on a global book tour after a big prize win; the other is set to give a speech at a school that has suffered a shooting. And as their two storylines merge, truths and antics abound in equal measure.
Mott’s creative applications of the phrase lay bare the reality of racialized 'othering,' while also revealing the extent to which community can be a source of comfort and hope ... Somehow, amid the weightiness of the novel, Mott inserts just enough humor to bring each character alive.
A book that begs for an immediate reread, People Like Us hits the soul hard. It is haunting, vivid literary fiction at its finest.
Mott’s writing is funny, intelligent, and sharp as a knife ... The language is high-energy and dazzling, like a New Year’s Eve party ... the characters have conversations that deliver profound meditations on race, belonging, grief, and the meaning of home, though there’s plenty to lighten the mood ... Full of action, suspense, and laughs. Its reflections about being a Black American in Europe are insightful. Jump in for a full-force, visceral ride.
Self-conscious, deliberate, and determined ... Through witty one-liners, sharp observations, and bold humor, People like Us innovatively carves a space on the shelf of hard-to-define books ... At times, it even feels whimsical, both in the entertaining, playful adventuring to new places and in the affective, dewy-eyed hope for a better world. A dynamic text moving faster than the pages turn, this is a novel true to our time’s search for a path forward—one that even dares to dream of togetherness.
