3 June 2016

Review #452: The Good Neighbour by Beth Miller



My rating: 4 of 5 stars



“Good neighbors always spy on you to make sure you are doing well.”


----Pawan Mishra



Beth Miller, an English author, has penned a heart-touching yet intriguing part-thriller-part-contemporary fiction in her latest book, The Good Neighbour that unfolds the story of two women who are neighbors to one another and each have children of their own, and their bond of trust grew with each passing day, but did they know everything about each other's secrets that can destroy the lives of both these women?



Synopsis:

Everyone has secrets. How far will you go to protect yours?

After living next to the neighbors from hell, Minette is overjoyed when Cath and her two children move in next door. Cath soon becomes her confidante, a kindred spirit, even her daughter’s babysitter.

But Cath keeps herself unusually guarded and is reluctant to speak of her past. And when Minette witnesses something unspeakable, she begins to question whether she really knows her new friend at all…



Minette, the newbie mom of a little angel, is finally glad and satisfied that the nosy and terrible couple from the next door has moved out. And now the new occupants of that house will be much more understanding, as her new neighbor is a single mother, Cath, with two little kids, Lola and Davey, among whom one is suffering from allergies whereas the other one is permanently wheelchair-bound. Soon Minette and Cath becomes close as they share about their daily lives while Cath opening up about the fact that she is also glad to move away from "Trouble-town" and her husband is travelling due to work, hence can't give them company. In fact, Cath is around Minette whenever she needs help managing her little new-born baby. Their bond of friendship as well as trust start to deepen eventually, but Minette can sense something is wrong or the fact that Cath is lying about her past as well as about her present. And then Minette discovers the truth, that has a power to destroy both Cath and Minette. What is the secret that Cath is hiding about her life?

This is no the first time that I'm reading any book by this author, having read her previous book, I had an advantage on knowing about the author's writing style, prose and other such stuffs. The writing is bold and articulate with an emphatic narrative that is shifting among a string of characters, hence the readers are in for a treat when they can view this story from so many various perspectives. The story is arresting from the very first page itself and doesn't let go of the readers' attention until the very end. The pacing is slow in the beginning but later catches up with speed when the author begins to unravel the key twists in her story.

The mystery part is well concocted by the author as she depicts the secrecy thing with lots of twists and turns. In the first half of the story, the readers might feel a bit restless to know about what might go wrong, as the sense of "something is terribly wrong" is very evident from the beginning of the story itself. Minette's relationship with a good looking neighbor might distract the readers from Cath's life, but in the background, the author has skillfully projected the mysteries related to Cath's life, that keeps the readers on their edges till the very end. As for regular thriller fans, this story might sound a bit foreseeable, as some of the twists are easy to anticipate.

The characters are real, honest and flawed, and yes, the author has successfully portrayed them with their psychological defects that will grip the readers with their individual narrative, which shifts from Minette's to Cath's to Davey's. Yes of course, when it comes to which narrative is the best one, then the answer will have to go to Davey's which the author has strikingly captured through his innocence and thoughtful demeanor. Minette is brave but her curious minds will keep the readers guessing till the very end. Cath, on the other hand, is secretive yet determined and strong to protect the kids as well as the secrets from her past.

But the disappointing part of this story would be the author leaving out some of the key questions unanswered those arose in the book and also played a key role in building up the mystery.

In a nutshell, this is an interesting story that has so many layers like relationships, medical health problems, trust etc and each layer has been unwrapped with great care to ensure that the readers can easily comprehend with the complexity of the plot thus making them engrossed and captivated with the story.

Verdict: A domestic drama with a flair of psychological thrill that will keep the readers on the edge of their seats.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Beth Miller, for providing me with a copy of her book, in return for an honest review.
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Author Info:
I have been told that I write like a tall blonde, so that's how I'd like you to picture me.
I've published two novels (more here) and a non-fiction book about The Archers (here).
Before writing books, I did a lot of different jobs.

I worked in schools, shops, offices, hospitals, students' unions, basements, from home, in my car, and up a tree. OK, not up a tree. I've been a sexual health trainer, a journalist, a psychology lecturer, a PhD student, a lousy alcohol counsellor, and an inept audio-typist. I sold pens, bread, and condoms. Not in the same shop. I taught parents how to tell if their teenagers are taking drugs (clue: they act like teenagers), and taught teenagers how to put on condoms (clue: there won't really be a cucumber). I taught rabbis how to tell if their teenagers are druggedly putting condoms on cucumbers.

Throughout this, I always wrote, and always drank a lot of tea. I'm now pretty much unbeatable at drinking tea.
Visit her here



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