Your rating:
A riveting and timely thriller, Perfectly Nice Neighbors asks the question: When your dream home comes with nightmare neighbors, how far will you go to keep your family safe? Salma Khatun is hopeful about Blenheim, the safe suburban development into which she, her husband, and their son have just moved. The Bangladeshi family are in desperate need of a fresh start, and Blenheim feels like just the place. Soon after they move in, Salma spots her white neighbor, Tom Hutton, ripping out the anti-racist banner her son put in the front garden. Choosing not to confront Tom, Salma takes the banner inside and puts it in her window instead. But the next morning, she wakes up to find her window smeared with paint. This time she does confront Tom, and the battle lines between the two families are drawn. As racial and social tensions escalate and the stakes rise, it's clear that a reckoning is coming... And someone is going to get hurt.
No posts yet
Kick off the convo with a theory, question, musing, or update
Your rating:
0Slow-paced, but mildly interesting, in premise at least. Too much ‘telling’ / too little ‘showing’ for my taste.
And the female lead who, I believe was supposed to be the protagonist? Was smoking and drinking (knowingly) during her pregnancy, so it was hard to like her. That said, it does explore some real-life issues for a couple of different ages groups (hence the part where I deemed it mildly interesting.)
It did get more interesting in the last 15% or so, though the pace remained slow until about the last 3%. This was ultimately, sort-of an interesting read which lends perspective and reminds the reader that some people just never learn. INSANE (that ending, ironica, really. Kinda fun.).
Written in alternating, third-person POVs.
I do advice patience with the slow pace as it does get good eventually.
3.5 stars.
Audio:
The audio was well done, overall.
0View spoiler
0
© 2024 Pagebound