People Person

By Megan Thomas

This was a charming, quick read and a great one to read this Summer by the poolside (or this Winter by the fireside, if you live in a different hemisphere).

It follows the story of the five children of Cyril Pennington – only two of which have the same mother, and therefore the only two that really have a relationship with each other. Despite their very different lives and upbringings (all part Jamaican, some part Indian, part white, part Yoruba), they have all met once, when their father decided that even with his busy schedule roaming the streets of London in his gold Jeep, it was his duty to ensure that his teenage children never accidentally hooked up.

The eldest, Nikisha (and biological older sister of Prince), was not expecting that her parting words that day to call if there’s ever an issue to be taken too seriously. Especially not something as big as what Dimple asks of her. Nonetheless, Nikisha recruits all the siblings – who better to deal with a life or death situation than family?

It is accessible and funny on the surface, but dig a little deeper and it’s also brimful of poignant observations about the Black British experience and plenty of intricate, three-dimensional characters – an impressive achievement when there are so many of them!

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