Some lovely early reviews of A Place for People Like Us
- Danila Botha Vernon
- Aug 19
- 2 min read
I'm so grateful for these thoughtful and generous early reviews of A Place For People Like Us, which will be published on Sept 29th. Thank you so much to Elizabeth Obermayer, Lisa de Nikolits, Shelly Sanders, and all the wonderful bookstagrammers, and social media book enthusiasts who have been posting about the book. I appreciate it so much, and it means so much to me.
"I have long been a fan of Botha's short fiction. She has the ability to create the most beautiful and tightly woven stories that leave visceral impressions long after you read them, so I was incredibly excited to review A Place For People Like Us...Botha’s characters are so real and so familiar and they leap from the page as people you feel you know...Her prose is so sharp and evocative, hitting us on a deep emotional level in one moment, then switching to wry humour in the next in a perfect balance. A Place For People Like Us is a beautifully told story of friendship and betrayal, of chosen family, the search for identity, and the search for love. And in Danila Botha’s more than capable hands, it absolutely soars."
"This book is compulsive and addictive reading. Powerful, passionate, incredibly insightful and sensitive, this is, in my opinion, Danila Botha’s best work to date. As always, she celebrates all the nuances and delights of Toronto, from dingy dive bars to marbled reception halls, sweeping staircases and the height of hallowed luxury. Kudos to Botha’s deft handling of religion. From shady, off-the-grid cult leaders to illuminating insights about Orthodox Judaism, Botha maps the terrain in ways both fascinating and informative, never shying away from exploring the darker undertones of troubled compulsions and the inescapable consequential damage caused.
And there are the relationships. Poignant, multifaceted, likable and relatable, Jillian, Naftali and Hannah will live in your heart long after you’ve read the final page. Botha’s characterization is flawless with each character in the book, from bit players to protagonists and antagonists.. The writing is lush, rich, and textured... The book is a sensual read in so many ways, and it’s also funny. You’ll find yourself chuckling at Hannah’s observations and she doesn’t miss a detail. This book will tug at your heart and leave you pondering the many aspects it explored."
"A Place for People Like Us is a fresh, captivating story about friendship, love, identity, and at its core, the complexities of faith. The relatable and emotionally rich dialogue steer the unflinching narrative, rendering characters that throb with life. Drawn by their shared longing for acceptance, Hannah and Jillian connect with an intensity that forces them to confront the gap between their fake and real selves. At the end, you'll be holding your breath. A remarkable book from a talented writer."
Shelly Sanders, bestselling author of The Night Sparrow
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