This Is Just The Beginning For Patmeena Sabit

I am absolutely thrilled to see that Patmeena Sabit’s extraordinary debut novel, Good People, has been longlisted for the 2026 Giller Prize.

The Giller Prize is Canada’s leading literary prize for fiction and this year’s longlist features just 14 books, selected from more than 140 works submitted by publishers across Canada. That is a huge achievement, particularly for a debut novelist, although I cannot say I am surprised.

Good People was our September Book of the Month and we absolutely loved it. It is wonderfully written and incredibly thought-provoking, with an extraordinary level of attention to detail. The characters are so clearly defined and there is so much within the story to discuss.

As you know, we welcomed Patmeena to the book club at the beginning of September for our online discussion. It was most definitely one of my top three favourite book club meetings of the year. The 45 minutes went far too quickly. It was a fabulous conversation and Patmeena was thoughtful, open and engaging throughout.

There is something particularly exciting about reading a debut novel and then watching everybody else discover just how amazing it is. This is exactly what I think is going to happen with Good People. I am predicting that it is going to be an absolute smash.

This Giller Prize longlisting feels like the start of something much bigger for both the book and its author.

I am so pleased and so proud that our book club was able to read Good People and host such an amazing author. Supporting authors and sharing accessible books with our members is exactly why the Michelle Gordon Book Club exists.

The shortlist will be announced on Monday 5 October 2026 and I will certainly be watching and hoping to see Patmeena’s name there.

Congratulations to Patmeena and the wonderful teams at Virago and Little, Brown. This is just the beginning.

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