Patmeena Sabit

In Patmeena Sabit's debut novel, Good People, the narrative is revealed through multiple voices that tell the story of an Afghan family who has immigrated to Virginia to pursue the American dream. The Sharaf family's rags-to-riches story is undone by a family tragedy. The narrators include police officials, neighbors, family friends, and community members, among others. Notably, the family does not speak for itself. The Sharafs are enmeshed in the tight-knit Afghan community whose members try to live according to their Muslim values while their American-raised children seek to succeed in the high-pressure American culture outside the community. Adolescent rebellion and misogyny are among the many themes that engage the reader while moving the story along.

Born in Kabul, Sabit was a month old when her family fled to Pakistan before moving to Virginia where she was raised. Her undergraduate studies moved her to write her debut novel. She lives in Toronto.

"An intimate study of an Afghan immigrant community forced to reevaluate what it means to raise children in America." — The New Yorker