Good Neighbors: A Novel
Named by Goodreads as One of the Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers of 2021 "A modern-day Crucible....Beneath the surface of a suburban utopia, madness lurks." --Liv Constantine, bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish "A sinkhole opens on Maple Street, and gossip turns the suburban utopia toxic. A taut teachable moment about neighbors turning on neighbors." --People "One of the creepiest, most unnerving deconstructions of American suburbia I've ever read. Langan cuts to the heart of upper middle class lives like a skilled surgeon." --NPR Celeste Ng's enthralling dissection of suburbia meets Shirley Jackson's creeping dread in this propulsive literary noir, when a sudden tragedy exposes the depths of deception and damage in a Long Island suburb--pitting neighbor against neighbor and putting one family in terrible danger. Welcome to Maple Street, a picture-perfect slice of suburban Long Island, its residents bound by their children, their work, and their illusion of safety in a rapidly changing world. But menace skulks beneath the surface of this exclusive enclave, making its residents prone to outrage. When the Wilde family moves in, they trigger their neighbors' worst fears. Dad Arlo's a gruff has-been rock star with track marks. Mom Gertie's got a thick Brooklyn accent, with high heels and tube tops to match. Their weird kids cuss like sailors. They don't fit with the way Maple Street sees itself. Though Maple Street's Queen Bee, Rhea Schroeder--a lonely college professor repressing a dark past--welcomed Gertie and her family at first, relations went south during one spritzer-fueled summer evening, when the new best friends shared too much, too soon. By the time the story opens, the Wildes are outcasts. As tensions mount, a sinkhole opens in a nearby park, and Rhea's daughter Shelly falls inside. The search for Shelly brings a shocking accusation against the Wildes. Suddenly, it is one mom's word against the other's in a court of public opinion that can end only in blood. A riveting and ruthless portrayal of American suburbia, Good Neighbors excavates the perils and betrayals of motherhood and friendships and the dangerous clash between social hierarchy, childhood trauma, and fear.
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Community Reviews
The Wildes are the newest family on Maple Street, a quiet crescent-shaped street on Long Island that faces a large park. The families on Maple Street are a fairly close-knit group, complete with block parties and the children roving through the backyards together in the summer. In the summer of 2027, tensions are running high due to a collapsing economy and worsening environmental conditions, and when a sinkhole opens up in the park during the Fourth of July block picnic, things get out of control and the Wildes get blamed for it all. By the end of the summer an entire family will be dead.
Apparently, what happens on Maple Street captures the public's attention, and by 20 years later all the surviving participants will have been interviewed numerous times, books will have been written, and there will even be an interactive Broadway play based on the events of that summer. But what actually happens on Maple Street?
The later analysis and interviews that are included lead the reader to believe that there is some confusion about who is to blame for what happened, but the contemporary narrative makes things fairly clear. It comes down to mental illness. As a result, debating responsibility was less interesting than watching the reactions of the residents of Maple Street. This is a modern-day Crucible, with sexual abuse replacing witchcraft. Peer pressure and mob mentality are undisguised, but what was most interesting to me was how some people doubled down on their accusations, even in the face of actual evidence to the contrary. It was fascinating.
Langan's writing is very vivid, evoking the heat and the smells of that summer (although apparently many things smell like candy apples) as well as the actions of the characters. My only complaint about this book is that there are far too many neighbors, and I couldn't distinguish among them. In terms of bringing the mob to life, this is very effective, but in terms of establishing individual motivation it is, of necessity, less effective. Unfortunately, not having a sense of many of the characters as individuals took away from the story for me. Still, this is a powerful book, and an important one, in a world where "truth" seems less and less concrete.
Apparently, what happens on Maple Street captures the public's attention, and by 20 years later all the surviving participants will have been interviewed numerous times, books will have been written, and there will even be an interactive Broadway play based on the events of that summer. But what actually happens on Maple Street?
The later analysis and interviews that are included lead the reader to believe that there is some confusion about who is to blame for what happened, but the contemporary narrative makes things fairly clear. It comes down to mental illness. As a result, debating responsibility was less interesting than watching the reactions of the residents of Maple Street. This is a modern-day Crucible, with sexual abuse replacing witchcraft. Peer pressure and mob mentality are undisguised, but what was most interesting to me was how some people doubled down on their accusations, even in the face of actual evidence to the contrary. It was fascinating.
Langan's writing is very vivid, evoking the heat and the smells of that summer (although apparently many things smell like candy apples) as well as the actions of the characters. My only complaint about this book is that there are far too many neighbors, and I couldn't distinguish among them. In terms of bringing the mob to life, this is very effective, but in terms of establishing individual motivation it is, of necessity, less effective. Unfortunately, not having a sense of many of the characters as individuals took away from the story for me. Still, this is a powerful book, and an important one, in a world where "truth" seems less and less concrete.
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