Nikita Lalwani

you-people

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Kate-Atkinson

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

The Village

Gifted

You People

Penguin Shop: 3 Clothbound Classics for £33

Enthralling as a thriller, yet also a beautiful human drama, and a serious enquiry into the possibility of goodness

Beautiful and brilliant. The exquisite writing is vivid, poetic and perceptive; the characters alive and compelling. Everything I want from a novel. I loved it.

Lively, poetically written and above all compassionate

This sinuous morality tale unfurls from the alternating perspectives... Slinking along like a thriller, it encompasses people smuggling, the labyrinthine inhumanity of Britain's immigration system, alcoholism and a class prejudice that cuts both ways. Kindness and its motives are a constant preoccupation

A startlingly original, continuously astute, and deeply compassionate novel. You People alerts us, in these dark times, to the possibility of human nobility

Lalwani's vivid, intensely empathic novel raises profound moral questions while maintaining the momentum and urgency of a thriller

Lalwani is a writer who understands people, and it shines through in her descriptions. This is a moving, authentic, humane novel which raises fundamental questions about what it means to be kind in an unkind world, and it will stay with me for a long time

Lalwani's novel tackles racism and xenophobia, but You People is essentially a compassionate human drama, full of perceptive insights

Folds serious social issues into an entertaining plot

Brilliant . . . A thriller reminiscent of Dirty Pretty Things. Really recommend it.

Intelligent and heart-piercing - an exceptional novel about the Britain we live in, even if we choose not to see it

A female lead who isn't defined by a romantic story arc? Yes please. Lalwani's serious, ravishing way of writing about the secret life of Britain is just what we need

You People is a short, complex novel that shines a light behind the smiles at your local restaurant, and asks tough questions about the nature of goodness in an unfair society

A sensitive and thought-provoking examination of an issue that is never far from the news and, as the plot accelerates, it segues into a tense and nerve-wracking thriller

Lalwani's novels are full of moments when the stories people tell about themselves and the world prove to be unreliable or open to manipulation.... observations are magical, fresh and unsettling

If you want a book to read this summer that taps into contemporary concerns, this excellent new one from Nikita Lalwani is the one to read

Lalwani explores kindness, altruism and the precariousness of interconnected lives in an economical tale that has the pace and suspense of a thriller

Lalwani eloquently explores the prejudices, financial pressures and loneliness faced by 'outsiders' trying to survive in a hostile environment

The Pizzeria Vesuvio looks like any other Italian restaurant in London - with a few small differences. The chefs who make the pizza fiorentinas are Sri Lankan, and half the kitchen staff are illegal immigrants. At the centre is Tuli, the restaurant's charismatic proprietor and resident Robin Hood, who promises to help anyone in need. Nineteen-year-old Nia, haunted by her troubled past, is running from her family. Shan, having fled the Sri Lankan civil war, is desperate to find his. But when Tuli's guidance leads them all into dangerous territory, and the extent of his mysterious operation unravels, each is faced with an impossible moral choice. In a world where the law is against you, how far would you be willing to lie for a chance to live?

'A moving, authentic, humane novel which raises fundamental questions about what it means to be kind in an unkind world' Guardian 
____________________________________________ 
 
The Pizzeria Vesuvio looks like any other Italian restaurant in London - with a few small differences. The chefs who make the pizza fiorentinas are Sri Lankan, and half the kitchen staff are illegal immigrants. 
 
At the centre is Tuli, the restaurant's charismatic proprietor and resident Robin Hood, who promises to help anyone in need. Welsh nineteen-year-old Nia, haunted by her troubled past, is running from her family. Shan, having fled the Sri Lankan civil war, is desperate to find his. 
 
But when Tuli's guidance leads them all into dangerous territory, and the extent of his mysterious operation unravels, each is faced with an impossible moral choice. 
 
In a world where the law is against you, how far would you be willing to lie for a chance to live? 
____________________________________________ 
 
 
'Intelligent and heart-piercing - an exceptional novel about the Britain we live in, even if we choose not to see it' Kamila Shamsie, author of Home Fire 
 
'Asks tough questions about the nature of goodness in an unfair society' Sunday Telegraph BOOK OF THE WEEK 
 
'Lively, poetically written and above all compassionate' Sunday Times 
 
'A female lead who isn't defined by a romantic story arc? Yes please. Lalwani's serious, ravishing way of writing about the secret life of Britain is just what we need' Times

Nikita Lalwani was born in Rajasthan and raised in Cardiff. She has written two novels previously, Gifted and The Village. Her first novel Gifted was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and won the Desmond Elliott Prize. She was also nominated for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. She lives in London.

You People

Format:

Buy the book from:

About Nikita Lalwani

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter