Scan barcode
A review by tracyreads
Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Full review up on Sci Fi and Scary:
I have TOO MANY books to read. It’s a wonderful problem to have. It also means I’m usually quite picky when requesting or accepting new books to review. There has to be a hook, and Good Neighbors boasts TWO huge things to make me want this book immediately. One, it’s by SARAH LANGAN. Her book The Keeper is a favorite of mine and I’ve read several short stories from her, so I knew the writing and storytelling would be just my style. Two, check out that cover blurb from Liv Constantine! “A modern day Crucible…beneath the surface of a suburban utopia, madness lurks.” Combined with the synopsis, it put me in mind of Arthur Miller, Bentley Little, and Shirley Jackson all in one.
Langan weaves her tale of suburbia gone wrong by mixing media in the forms of present day storytelling, flash forwards to news articles, and interviews with others after the fact. This could get messy, but never once was I pulled out of the story or felt jerked around needlessly. If anything, it helps to ramp up the tension and provide the author with yet another way to explore domestic depravity.
Perhaps what I enjoyed the most (besides the horror) about this book are the characters and the dissection of a small slice of American suburbia. Like Jackson, Little, and Miller, Good Neighbors scratches at the shiny surface to reveal and comment on real-life horror.
I have TOO MANY books to read. It’s a wonderful problem to have. It also means I’m usually quite picky when requesting or accepting new books to review. There has to be a hook, and Good Neighbors boasts TWO huge things to make me want this book immediately. One, it’s by SARAH LANGAN. Her book The Keeper is a favorite of mine and I’ve read several short stories from her, so I knew the writing and storytelling would be just my style. Two, check out that cover blurb from Liv Constantine! “A modern day Crucible…beneath the surface of a suburban utopia, madness lurks.” Combined with the synopsis, it put me in mind of Arthur Miller, Bentley Little, and Shirley Jackson all in one.
Langan weaves her tale of suburbia gone wrong by mixing media in the forms of present day storytelling, flash forwards to news articles, and interviews with others after the fact. This could get messy, but never once was I pulled out of the story or felt jerked around needlessly. If anything, it helps to ramp up the tension and provide the author with yet another way to explore domestic depravity.
Perhaps what I enjoyed the most (besides the horror) about this book are the characters and the dissection of a small slice of American suburbia. Like Jackson, Little, and Miller, Good Neighbors scratches at the shiny surface to reveal and comment on real-life horror.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Child death