People Person is the latest literary fiction novel by Candice Carty-Williams, published in 2022.
Candice Carty-Williams is the bestselling author of Queenie, which won Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
People Person was featured on Between The Covers, and because I enjoyed Queenie so much, I couldn’t wait to read it.
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Plot
Dimple knows of her half-siblings, but doesn’t have any kind of relationship with them. Her father, serial womaniser Cyril Pennington, clumsily introduced his five children when they were young but they have played no part in each other’s lives since.
None of the siblings seem to have anything in common other than an absent father and abandonment issues, so they each follow their own paths away from each other.
Now in her 30s, Dimple is still struggling to find her place in the world. As a struggling social media influencer in South London with a toxic boyfriend, she has never felt more alone.
Therefore when a dramatic incident occurs, Dimple doesn’t know who to turn to. In a moment of spontaneity, Dimple contacts her siblings for help.
People Person Book Review
I really enjoyed People Person, although not quite as much as I enjoyed Queenie.
I found Dimple, like Queenie, quite a frustrating yet endearing character. Candice Carty-Williams has a real talent for creating flawed characters you really root for.
Both Queenie and Dimple were trying to find their place in the world. However while Queenie focused on one main character and her relationships, People Person is much more family orientated.
I particularly enjoyed the dialogue between the five siblings. Considering the cast of characters was quite large, I found it easy to distinguish between them all. Each had their unique voice, and I empathised with them all at varying points of the story.
I found the whole ex-boyfriend/blackmail saga a bit farcical in places, but it was really just a device to introduce all the characters and keep them in Dimple’s life.
The boyfriend storyline very much played a backseat to the interactions and connections between the siblings. I found the sometimes fraught relationship between Dimple and her brothers and sisters to be really convincing and realistic.
Overall I enjoyed this family drama. It was witty yet poignant and well worth a read. It perfectly highlighted the impact an absent parent can have on a person, even into adulthood. However, I enjoyed how Cyril’s decisions didn’t define the siblings, as each fought to find their own place in the world.
I’ll be looking forward to reading whatever Candice-Carty Williams writes next.
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