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readingwithkt's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR tells the story of two neighbours whose rivalry has lasted decades: their dislike for one another immediate and enduring. I went into this expecting a very surface level, easy read about two retirees with an intense dislike for one another, but with an enemies-to-friends story ending (all of this is in the blurb).
I was surprised, then, by how quietly devastating THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR is. It starts with what on the surface seems like a petty rivalry. But as you learn the character’s shared and personal histories, you begin to understand the true root of their problems with one another.
Set in South Africa, Apartheid and unconscious bias play a role, but the narrative covers far more than that. It’s about womanhood, betrayal, jealousy, grief, and the pitting of career versus family focused women against one another, and the impossibility (for many) of being both.
It’s a hard book to talk about without spoiling it. Half of the beauty in this book was the quiet unravelling of the characters stories. It’s a slow paced, slow burn story which will leave you with a feeling of absolute devastation. At least, that’s how it was for me.
Since reading, I have become completely intrigued by the author; by where this story came from and what other stories they have to tell. Yewande Omotoso is an author whose publications I’ll be watching out for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Abortion