A Book Review: People Person by Candice Carty Williams - MILD SPOILERS

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

Would I recommend this book: Yes !! It provides great insight into some of the struggles black people in London face,

People Person is one of those books that might not have flowery language or beautiful prose but still hits you hard. It’s raw, and it’s incredibly insightful. I enjoyed reading this book, and I enjoyed being a part of this readalong even more. Whilst there are some things I didn’t like as much I would recommend this book so you should give it a go!!

I really liked how all the siblings had a strong sense of responsibility towards each other, and it really warmed my heart. Sure, things might not have gotten off on the best foot, but it was evident they felt some sort of responsibility towards each other, even Lizzie. Cyril was definitely not the best father, and they had all the reason to completely cut themselves off from one another, but they didn’t, and I love how they were loyal to one another. It wasn’t easy, and the circumstances under which they came together weren’t great, but they truly became a family.

Danny is definitely my favourite character, and if you’ve read the book, you probably (definitely) understand why xD

I would’ve liked the struggle with the police to be mentioned a bit more, though. At the beginning of the book, distrust in the police is discussed, and it seems to be a recurring thing with the characters all agreeing and believing that the police wouldn’t be able to solve anything.

But that’s all there is to it. It’s never mentioned why the police can’t be trusted by the siblings, and it just seems to be an unspoken rule. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be an intentional ‘it goes without saying’ type of thing, but I would’ve liked the institutionalised racism to have been explored more. None of the siblings had positive experiences with the police and I wish that was brought up, especially with Danny. The only thing in regard to the topic is the real-life case of poor Richard Okorogheye, may he rest in peace. It's still a good and enjoyable book, though !!

Lastly, I’d like to thank Tandem Collective UK, Candice Carty Williams, and Trapezebooks for allowing me to take part in this readalong and read this book.

I know this review is a little short so please do forgive me for that. Hopefully, the next couple ones will be longer :))

Thank you for reading :))

Aziza