A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Using a Greek Chorus to ask and raise questions, this was a story of what a good neighborhood and what it became when a new family moved in. Valerie has raised her biracial son in Oak Knoll, she knows everyone, is a professor, hold book clubs and has set opinions about ecology. When the Whitman's an upwardly mobile family moves in next door, trouble begins when Brad Whitman assumes Xavier is hired help, both parents keep a tight lock on their daughter, Juniper with a purity pledge and many restrictions. It really gets problematic when Xavier and Juniper become romantically involved and Valerie sues Brad Whitman over his destruction of an old oak tree. Delving into many themes and issues such as class, race, environmental concerns, love, lies, secrecy, consequences, family dysfunction and lawsuits this character driven book is heartbreakingly real. A must read!

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