Who killed Zorah? Immigrant community's secrets exposed

Patmeena Sabit's debut novel, "Good People," constructs a polyphonic portrait of a contemporary American migrant community through a series of short, fragmented testimonies. These narratives probe the suspicious drowning death of Zorah Sharaf, an Afghan-American teenager found deceased in a canal.

The novel features voices from Zorah's family, friends, neighbors, teachers, and media commentators, slowly revealing conflicting perspectives on the grieving Sharaf family. While some portray them as loving and tight-knit, others describe them as dysfunctional and punitive.