The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth is the perfect summer read, best paired with an Instagram worthy dinner of a green salad and fresh fish with a slice of lemon, prepared at home in your spotless kitchen.
Behind the idyllic façade of Pleasant Court, a quiet oceanfront suburb of Melbourne, are women who all have something to hide. Essie, a mother of two, has had bouts of postpartum depression so severe she once abandoned her baby in a park. Will she slip back into despair?
Fran, who has recently given birth herself, is out jogging the neighborhood multiple times per day, but what is she running from?
Realtor Ange has the perfect wardrobe, Instagram stories, and the too-handsome husband. But can he really be trusted?
Isabelle Heatherington moves into the community, single and without children, much to the surprise of the other residents. When her backstory doesn’t add up, the women wonder what is she doing there? What is she hiding? Chapters alternate between each woman’s perspective and are all threaded around an escalating anonymous flashback, setting the stage for a slow building suburban mystery that’s just as interesting as the characters themselves.
The Family Next Door isn’t a heart pumping thriller with shocking revelations, but rather a wonderful story with distinct likable characters in easily relatable situations dealing with their own personal relationships and the long-term consequences of life’s little choices.
Rating: 4 out of 5 bottles