A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

 

April 1, 2020 (by Leah)

Fans of Desperate Housewives (remember the fictional tv series with Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman) will really enjoy A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler.  The book focuses on residents of Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood and the narrator is a neighbor who we never meet (think Mary Alice).  The story is told in a light, gossipy tone which lulls you into a ‘beach read’ mentality.  But like most things, what looks perfect from the outside, seldom is.  The storyline is anything but light as it explores love, race, class and family in a realistic and powerful way.  The book warns you from the start that a tragedy is in the works but I still had tears in my eyes at the end.  Maybe I should describe it as a mashup of Romeo and Juliet and Desperate Housewives.