A Good Neighborhood
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * One of NPR's Best Books of 2020
"A provocative, absorbing read." — People
“A feast of a read... I finished A Good Neighborhood in a single sitting. Yes, it’s that good.” —Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light
In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son, Xavier, who’s headed to college in the fall. All is well until the Whitmans—a family with new money and a secretly troubled teenage daughter—raze the house and trees next door to build themselves a showplace.
With little in common except a property line, these two families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie's yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers.
Therese Anne Fowler's A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today—what does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don't see eye to eye?—as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.
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I read most of this book in one sitting. The point of view and the flow of the story was so refreshing compared to many of my latest reads, most of which have had me jumping through timelines and characters. What makes A Good Neighborhood? Is it the people and the community they create or is it the desirability of the location? The book explores that question and dives into what happens when a disruptor comes along,
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The Good Neighbor by Therese Anne Fowler
311 pages
What’s it about?
Oak Knoll is a middle class, tight-knit neighborhood in a North Carolina university town. When a new family decides to tear down an existing home and build a McMansion directly behind Valerie Alston-Holt's home she is deeply troubled. She is offended by the vulgar display of wealth, the lack of care for the environment, and she is especially offended by her new backyard view. When her favorite Oak tree begins to die due to root stress she decides to stand up for what she believes in and sue the new neighbors for damages. Her son Xavier is not happy as he has made a connection with Juniper (the daughter of the new neighbors). In the end will anybody be happy?
What did it make me think about?
The narrator of this novel seems to be the collective voice of the neighborhood. I found this off-putting and interesting at the same time. I also could not help but think how easy it is to come off as smug if you are writing a story with a strong point of view.
Should I read it?
This was easy to read but it was very heavy handed in it's message. To me it seemed like every person in the novel was a caricature. From the environmentalist professor to the crass businessman- every character played their part. Because each character was so extreme it was hard to think of this book as anything other than a morals lesson. I prefer to think through a story and find the meaning- not to be force fed. This one just wasn't for me.
Quote-
"We'll say no one can be known by what's visible. We'll say most of us hide what troubles and confuses us, displaying instead the facets we hope others will approve of, the parts we hope others will like."
If you liked this try-
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawaii Strong Washburn
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
The Good Neighbor by Therese Anne Fowler
311 pages
What’s it about?
Oak Knoll is a middle class, tight-knit neighborhood in a North Carolina university town. When a new family decides to tear down an existing home and build a McMansion directly behind Valerie Alston-Holt's home she is deeply troubled. She is offended by the vulgar display of wealth, the lack of care for the environment, and she is especially offended by her new backyard view. When her favorite Oak tree begins to die due to root stress she decides to stand up for what she believes in and sue the new neighbors for damages. Her son Xavier is not happy as he has made a connection with Juniper (the daughter of the new neighbors). In the end will anybody be happy?
What did it make me think about?
The narrator of this novel seems to be the collective voice of the neighborhood. I found this off-putting and interesting at the same time. I also could not help but think how easy it is to come off as smug if you are writing a story with a strong point of view.
Should I read it?
This was easy to read but it was very heavy handed in it's message. To me it seemed like every person in the novel was a caricature. From the environmentalist professor to the crass businessman- every character played their part. Because each character was so extreme it was hard to think of this book as anything other than a morals lesson. I prefer to think through a story and find the meaning- not to be force fed. This one just wasn't for me.
Quote-
"We'll say no one can be known by what's visible. We'll say most of us hide what troubles and confuses us, displaying instead the facets we hope others will approve of, the parts we hope others will like."
If you liked this try-
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings
Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawaii Strong Washburn
The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer
I really liked this book. "What happens when you try to do the right thing but it all goes wrong?"
Valerie is a single mom raising her biracial son in a tight knit NC neighborhood. She is smart, a professor of forestry and ecology, and is looking forward to being an empty nester when her musically talented son goes to college in the fall. Then the neighbors move in behind her. The Whitman's, are a traditional family with a lot of money and a teenage daughter with a troubled secret. When the Whitman's have all the trees cleared to build their show house, the two families find themselves quickly at odds.
At first I didn't like Valerie. She reminded me of the black mother in Little Fires Everywhere. When she first met Brad Whitman, she had a chip on her shoulder. To be fair, I didn't really like Brad either. He was creepy, racist and old fashioned. His wife, Julia, had her own troubled past and he "rescued" her and her young daughter Juniper from their trailer park upbringing. The conclusion was heartbreaking and sad, yet hopeful. I did not see it coming.
This story is fast paced, timely and well written. The narrator "we" was an interesting writing style. It gave the reader a look into the characters and what was coming without ever finding out who "we" was. This is a story that asks big questions about life today, especially in our current climate. What does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live side by side when we don't see eye to eye?
Valerie is a single mom raising her biracial son in a tight knit NC neighborhood. She is smart, a professor of forestry and ecology, and is looking forward to being an empty nester when her musically talented son goes to college in the fall. Then the neighbors move in behind her. The Whitman's, are a traditional family with a lot of money and a teenage daughter with a troubled secret. When the Whitman's have all the trees cleared to build their show house, the two families find themselves quickly at odds.
At first I didn't like Valerie. She reminded me of the black mother in Little Fires Everywhere. When she first met Brad Whitman, she had a chip on her shoulder. To be fair, I didn't really like Brad either. He was creepy, racist and old fashioned. His wife, Julia, had her own troubled past and he "rescued" her and her young daughter Juniper from their trailer park upbringing. The conclusion was heartbreaking and sad, yet hopeful. I did not see it coming.
This story is fast paced, timely and well written. The narrator "we" was an interesting writing style. It gave the reader a look into the characters and what was coming without ever finding out who "we" was. This is a story that asks big questions about life today, especially in our current climate. What does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live side by side when we don't see eye to eye?
3.5 stars. I didn't love A Good Neighborhood as much as I wanted to. While there were aspects that I did enjoy, the ending left me unsatisfied. Let me break it down for you.
The novel is narrated in the third person by "the neighborhood," an unknown, unnamed person or people. I've noticed other reviewers are put off by this, but I actually liked the distance. It set the reader on the outside of the action, just as the neighbors were, and effectively built-up the tension. It reminded me a bit of the role the chorus plays in Shakespeare's works.
While I thought the characters were distinct--I didn't get any of them confused--I wanted more from Xavier and his mother, Valerie. They seemed flat to me; I didn't feel like I knew them well enough, or necessarily believed their actions.
This novel tackled a lot of issues--racism, classism, religious trauma, patriarchy, grief, gender equality, and even ecology. You would think that it might be too much, but the author handles it deftly, weaving them throughout the story. However, it wasn't the plot or the story that I had issues with, it was the characters' choices and reactions from said issues that didn't seem to match with the character they represented. In other words, I wasn't satisfied with the ending.
I do think A Good Neighborhood would make a great book club read--there's lots to unpack and discuss. And I would pick up another book by Fowler--she did keep me turning pages.
*I was provided an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin's Press.
#popsugarreadingchallenge2020 (prompt #24)
The novel is narrated in the third person by "the neighborhood," an unknown, unnamed person or people. I've noticed other reviewers are put off by this, but I actually liked the distance. It set the reader on the outside of the action, just as the neighbors were, and effectively built-up the tension. It reminded me a bit of the role the chorus plays in Shakespeare's works.
While I thought the characters were distinct--I didn't get any of them confused--I wanted more from Xavier and his mother, Valerie. They seemed flat to me; I didn't feel like I knew them well enough, or necessarily believed their actions.
This novel tackled a lot of issues--racism, classism, religious trauma, patriarchy, grief, gender equality, and even ecology. You would think that it might be too much, but the author handles it deftly, weaving them throughout the story. However, it wasn't the plot or the story that I had issues with, it was the characters' choices and reactions from said issues that didn't seem to match with the character they represented. In other words, I wasn't satisfied with the ending.
I do think A Good Neighborhood would make a great book club read--there's lots to unpack and discuss. And I would pick up another book by Fowler--she did keep me turning pages.
*I was provided an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin's Press.
#popsugarreadingchallenge2020 (prompt #24)
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