Good Neighbors: A Novel by Sarah Langan

 

 

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

&;Good Neighbors is a wickedly funny, unnerving puzzle box of a novel. Sarah Langan has a delightfully twisted sensibility.&; &;Dan Chaon, author of Ill Will

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.