The Family Next Door
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
March 6, 2018
Hardcover
352
Free from publisher
Small, perfect towns often hold the deepest secrets. From the outside, Essie’s life looks idyllic: a loving husband, a beautiful house in a good neighborhood, and a nearby mother who dotes on her grandchildren. But few of Essie’s friends know her secret shame: that in a moment of maternal despair, she once walked away from her newborn, asleep in her carriage in a park. Disaster was avoided and Essie got better, but she still fears what lurks inside her, even as her daughter gets older and she has a second baby. When a new woman named Isabelle moves in next door to Essie, she is an immediate object of curiosity in the neighborhood. Why single, when everyone else is married with children? Why renting, when everyone else owns? What mysterious job does she have? And why is she so fascinated with Essie? As the two women grow closer and Essie’s friends voice their disapproval, it starts to become clear that Isabelle’s choice of neighborhood was no accident. And that her presence threatens to bring shocking secrets to light. The Family Next Door is Sally Hepworth at her very best: at once a deeply moving portrait of family drama and a compelling suburban mystery that will keep you hooked until the very last page.
My review:
I am a big fan of books by this author (The Secrets of Midwives, The Things We Keep, The Mother's Promise). Click the links to see my reviews on those books I've listed. I had heard that this book was a departure from her previous novels, but I'm not sure that I agree. There was maybe a bit more of an unsettling mystery surrounding one of the new neighbors, but I think there has been a bit of that seen in prior works. What Hepworth does well is suck you into her stories because of the characters. She writes about seemingly normal people who may not be as normal as you think. Particularly in this book, they all have secrets they are hiding from not only their neighbors, but in most cases, from their spouses. This was a fast read for me, the alternating short chapters are told by each of five women in the neighborhood. I found myself racing through to find out not just the mystery behind the new neighbor, but how life pans out for all the other women. Despite it being a super engaging read, I did think there were just a few too many problems going on. I know the saying you don't always know what goes on in your neighbors house, but come on.....these people were ALL messed up! Couldn't we have a couple normal ones in the bunch, just for my sanity?
This is a fast paced story with some real life people, in some messed up secrets and lies. It's not what I would classify as a thriller, since most of the secrets are more scandal than sinister, but you will find yourself caught up in the lives of these neighbors. It's definitely worth the read.
