Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - A Good Neighborhood

TW: Rape, suicide, incest, pedophilia, sexual assault, racial slurs

I had purchased this book randomly for my sister a while back from a used bookstore and she read it, and then recommended that I read it. Honestly, had I known how the book would go, I probably never would’ve recommended someone read it. I was talking about how I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending this book (while reading it) to many people because of the content, specifically the pedophilia.

While I am not comfortable recommending this book to people, due to the content, except for someone I am extremely close with (due to potential triggers)-, I would say this was a fantastic read-without being overly enthusiastic about the topics- the book was well written and touched on so many topics that are so prevalent in our current society. Between bigotry, sexism, racism, and our environment, this book is spot on and extremely eye opening.

4/5 stars from myself

Content Warnings

maggies's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I want to be careful to distinguish between not liking a book because the subject matter was particularly difficult or triggering and for some other reason, like the quality of the storytelling. I am confident that I did not enjoy this book for both reasons. The subject matter was fully entwined with how it was presented, including sympathetic narration about a) explicit and implicit racism and white supremacy, b) purity/virginity culture, and c) pedophilia. Regarding subject matter alone,

the scenes during and after Xavier and Juniper’s foray in the cottage were horrible for me, personally. Of course, that’s the point, but I just couldn’t handle it and struggled through the rest of the book as a result.

The characters were one-dimensional and stereotypical, and the pacing of the story was also totally off. The Greek chorus was an interesting addition, but it wasn’t interesting enough to balance the con side of the ledger. Cannot and will not recommend.

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caitlinc's review against another edition

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tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

The author of this book comes across as a privileged, straight white woman who thinks she’s heroically doing something good for black people by writing this story.

Content Warnings

cassielaj's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The writing in this book is stunning and compelling, but the subject matter is really difficult to read sometimes.

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Title: A Good Neighborhood
Author: Therese Anne Fowler
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: March 10 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Tense • Provocative • Thoughtful

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Oak Knoll is a tight-knit community and when a new family, the Whitmans, move in next door to Valerie and her son, Xavier, the two families have very little in common. A dispute over an aging oak tree and a budding romance between two young lovers put these two families at odds. With escalating tension, another incident occurs that will change all of their lives forever. A story packed with secrets and lies, and what it means to be a good neighbor.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I had originally added A Good Neightborhood to my TBR without really knowing too much of what it was about. What I got was a powerful, eye-opening, and redemptive story about a broken system. The book flies along quite quickly and the writing was good. The third party narrator was one of the things I really loved. It gave the book suburban, gossipy neighbor vibes. Exploring the themes of love, family, race, class, power, and privilege, it is packed with drama and touches on the injustices of the 'justice' system. It touches on the theme of ecological welfare, which was a nice addition, but I wish that part of the book had been developed more. Even though it is quick paced, the characters and the story line were slow to develop, casually dropping hints of the tension between the two families. The author does an exceptional job at creating a dislike for step-father Brad and creating a plot I could realistically see happening.

Overall, I thought this to be a solid read that had me thinking about my own judgements and perceptions of people. There is definitely lots of discuss and contemplate here.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who like Little Fires Everywhere or Ask Again, Yes
• fans of domestic dramas
• Desperate Housewives followers

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"We'll start here.

They were just words, the same way this story is just words. Words, thought, are how we humans have been communicating with one another almost since time before time. What has more meaning to humankind than words? Without a call to action, change rarely occurs.

Start here, please, in communion with one another despite our differences, recognizing that without start there is no end."

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