A Good Neighborhood is a timely and well-written novel about two families and deep, lingering prejudice in what is seemingly a “good” neighborhood. Add into the mix the old families vs new families, economical differences in everything from ecology to education, and two teens who are drawn to each other and things in the neighborhood are about to get complex.
Valerie has been living in Oak Knoll, raising her teen son on her own. Brad is a self-made, local semi-celebrity who has just moved his family—including his wife and her two daughters—into their new home in the neighborhood. But the two families quickly fall to odds, first over a historic oak tree, and then as the two teens become involved with each other.
But this isn’t just a book about the good character vs the bad character, A Good Neighborhood is a carefully structured journey into how each person, based on their own life experiences, will react differently to similar circumstances. It is also about how appearances can lead us to misjudge people, sometimes in the most shocking ways.
Theresa Anne Fowler has written a provocative and intense novel that will leave you pondering your own beliefs about each character as their stories evolve. It is a dark, sad story, with masterful character development that will keep you turning the pages until the very last.
*I received an ARC of A Good Neighborhood from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review*