Good People

“Propulsive.”—TIME

“Ingeniously structured, thought-provoking, and utterly addictive, Good People will have everyone talking.”—Paula Hawkins

“Brilliant. The best debut I’ve read in a very long time.”—Monica Ali, author of Brick Lane and Love Marriage

“Good People is a thrilling tour de force of a novel. I’ll be recommending this book to everyone.”—Ann Patchett

“This devastating début novel takes the form of an oral history about a tragedy that shatters a family. At its heart is a couple who arrived in the U.S. in the late nineteen-nineties as refugees from Afghanistan. They prospered, and brought up four children in an affluent suburb in Virginia. Rotating testimonies from people they know—family friends, a cousin, lawyers—offer theories about what led to the novel’s central catastrophe. Once the nature of the tragedy has been revealed, the book transforms into an intimate study of an Afghan immigrant community forced to reevaluate what it means to raise children in America. One friend says, ‘The money wasn’t the issue. . . . It was about one thing and one thing only: They forgot who they were.’”—The New Yorker

“A month into the year, the first great novel of 2026 is here. Patmeena Sabit’s debut, Good People, may remind readers of Celeste Ng’s bestselling Little Fires Everywhere in that it’s a domestic tale that reads like a propulsive thriller and springs from a clash of cultures.”—The Minnesota Star Tribune

“Sabit debuts with an electrifying whodunit . . . This propulsive tale heralds Sabit as a writer worth keeping tabs on.”—Publishers Weekly

“Good People is equal parts an immigrant novel, a tightly wound mystery, and an oral history. Patmeena Sabit moves between these with insight, ease, and grace to give us a remarkable, unsettling snapshot of our complicated times.”—Sameer Pandya, author of Our Beautiful Boys

“Good People is a stunning read. I could not recommend it more enthusiastically. The story of an investigation into a suspicious death, this rich novel is so much more. Written with raw emotional insight, this page-turner is a fascinating, kaleidoscopic look at a grieving Afghan family caught between culture and country. With startling empathy for all sides, Patmeena Sabit plumbs the fault lines of honor, truth, prejudice, and how identity shapes guilt in the aftermath of tragedy. What a spectacular triumph this book is. This is the Afghan novel I have been eagerly waiting for.”—Khaled Hosseini

“A triumphant debut! With the sophistication and assurance of a seasoned writer, Patmeena Sabit has crafted a prescient East-West story as only a third culture talent could have. The plot: masterful. The writing: beguiling. The pacing: breakneck. The possibility I will read this again and again: absolute. I can’t wait to read what Sabit will create next!”—Alka Joshi, author of The Henna Artist and the Jaipur Trilogy

“Sabit’s first novel masterfully dissects the glittering facade of the American Dream . . . This all unfolds like a binge-worthy true-crime podcast . . . It’s voyeuristic and intimate, pulling readers into the fray as if huddled around a kitchen table, trading secrets over chai. At once heartbreaking and hypnotic, Sabit’s is a novel that demands to be devoured.”—Booklist, starred review