“Bestseller” is written all over this tale of self-deception from a Dubai-based New Zealand writer.
It’s easy to see why Brandy Scott’s debut novel, Not Bad People, was snapped up by an international publisher. It’s an accomplished, highly entertaining read that explores how even long-standing friendships can stand on foundations so fragile that they crack as soon as the least pressure is applied.
The novel centres on three friends in their late thirties: Melinda, who’s about to float her successful company on the sharemarket; Aimee, happily married but struggling to manage anxiety; and Lou, a single mother on a low income who can’t control her teenage daughter.
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