People Like Us

The riveting new novel by the author of the 2021 National Book Award winner and bestseller Hell of a BookPeople Like Us is Jason Mott’s electric new novel. It is not memoir, yet it has deeply personal connections to Jason’s life. And while rooted in reality, it explodes with dreamlike experiences that pull a reader in and don’t let go, from the ability to time travel to sightings of sea monsters and peacocks, and feelings of love and memory so real they hurt.In People Like Us, two Black writers are trying to find peace and belonging in a world that is riven with gun violence. One is on a global book tour after a big prize win; the other is set to give a speech at a school that has suffered a shooting. And as their two storylines merge, truths and antics abound in equal measure: characters drink booze out of an award trophy; menaces lurk in the shadows; tiny French cars putter around the countryside; handguns seem to hover in the air; and dreams endure against all odds.

"The follow-up to Mott's National Book Award-winning Hell of a Book weaves the stories of two Black authors -- one on an international book tour, the other confronting a deadly school shooting -- into a comedic, surreal exploration of love and loss." --New York Times"Part memoir, part travelogue, part fever dream, Mott's novel deploys wicked humor and pathos to explore issues around race, gun violence, fame and mental health." --Atlanta Journal Constitution"A meta-novel that stings and touches the reader.... The whole book seems the literary equivalent of a post-bop jazz performance, with oblique happenings that compel attention because of the book's antic energy and lyrical passages." --Kirkus (starred review)

"Mott's writing is funny, intelligent, and sharp as a knife....This book is full of action, suspense, and laughs. Its reflections about being a Black American in Europe are insightful. Jump in for a full-force, visceral ride." --Library Journal (starred review)