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‘A moving, authentic, humane novel which raises fundamental questions about what it means to be kind in an unkind world’ Guardian
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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?
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‘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

Publisher Review

Outstanding. Rich, vivid, fluent with a wonderful cast of well developed, engaging characters A masterclass * Guardian on The Village * Superb, brilliantly realised. The searing narrative is unflinchingly and tenderly written * Independent on Gifted * Compelling, heart-wrenching and laced with redemptive hope * Observer on Gifted * Intelligent and heart-piercing - an exceptional novel about the Britain we live in, even if we choose not to see it A vital vision of altruism for our times * Devorah Baum * A startlingly original, continuously astute, and deeply compassionate novel. You People alerts us, in these dark times, to the possibility of human nobility * Pankaj Mishra * 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. * Stephen Merchant * Enthralling as a thriller, yet also a beautiful human drama, and a serious enquiry into the possibility of goodness -- Tessa Hadley