| Sumario: | The article critically examines Judith Guest’s novel *Ordinary People*, highlighting its status as a widely publicized bestseller about a typical American family coping with pain and healing. It discusses the novel’s unique publishing history as the first unsolicited manuscript accepted by Viking in over 25 years, noting the subsequent closure of slush-pile submissions by major publishers. The review questions the novel’s literary merit, describing its treatment of mental illness as lacking emotional depth and criticizing character development, particularly of the female protagonist. Overall, the article views *Ordinary People* as an overrated work included in the Penguin Classics series more due to hype than quality.
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