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A review by ncrabb
The Perfect Neighbors by Sarah Pekkanen
4.0
This is a remarkable book that you'll red because you want to know the seamy underside of the four women who are predominantly featured. It brings back memories of a BBC radio play in which someone buys a rather special radio that enables him to listen into the private conversations of his neighbors. It's like being back in the early '90s when wireless phones were analogue and transmitted in the 800-MHz band. That meant anyone with an old-fashioned radio scanner could listen to your phone calls in those years. Was it legal? Of course not; was it common? of course. Analogue baby monitors extant in the '90s were much the same way. Did you get a little nooky in the baby's room back in those days without first turning off that infamous baby monitor? Again, because of the analogue nature and frequency at which those transmitted, your amorous moments while Junior slept soundly were broadcast to houses within an eighth of a mile or so radius around yours. Reading this book is like being back in the '90s with that analogue radio scanner, only it's better--way better--because of the writing style and talent of the author.
It's the perfect neighborhood--certainly one of the safest in the nation. That's why Tessa and her family moved there; they wanted safety, and they wanted to blend in, not stand out. As you read this, you'll understand why, and it will completely blow away whatever you think motivates Tessa and her family to lie low.
Gigi's husband, Joe, wants to be in Congress. They look like the perfect family--Joe, Gigi, and two daughters. Heck, they even have the charmed or cursed (depending on how you look at it) last name of Kennedy. What could be wrong with such perfection? But Gigi's world is far, far from perfect, as you learn by reading the book.
Susan is a new single mom who started her own elder care business, and she is so together that her company thrived and grew impressively. But her husband has left her for her best friend, and Susan, too, has secrets.
Kellie Scott is back to work for the first time in years,now that her kids have grown old enough she doesn't need to be in the house all the time. She has put on a few pounds--but not many, and the new real estate job works well for her. It's the attention of a male colleague that thrills her as much as dropping those few extra pounds. She's married to hardware-store-owner Jason, (her high-school sweetheart), and it looks to all intents and purposes to be the perfect marriage. But crank up that Sarah Pekkenan analogue scanner, my friend, and prepare for some juicy stuff.
This is the often unsettling story of four women, all of whom develop a common bond, and all of whom have vastly different secrets from one another. Blissful Newport Cove is anything but, and you'll learn that as you dig into this book.
Most chapters begin with excerpts from a neighborhood email list moderated by the effervescent always-on-top-of-things neighborhood manager, Shannon. These messages are so realistic to neighborhood email lists that you will relate if you've ever been on such a list. Again, these excerpts are illustrations of Pekkanen's talent.
Madeline Maby does another of her excellent narrations here. She moves expertly through the book; it is as though she were typing frequencies into your old analogue '90s scanner--offering up those frequencies with the most radio traffic and the juiciest secrets. Best of all, you'll recognize that no neighborhood, no matter how quiet, is as perfect as it may seem--not even yours!
It's the perfect neighborhood--certainly one of the safest in the nation. That's why Tessa and her family moved there; they wanted safety, and they wanted to blend in, not stand out. As you read this, you'll understand why, and it will completely blow away whatever you think motivates Tessa and her family to lie low.
Gigi's husband, Joe, wants to be in Congress. They look like the perfect family--Joe, Gigi, and two daughters. Heck, they even have the charmed or cursed (depending on how you look at it) last name of Kennedy. What could be wrong with such perfection? But Gigi's world is far, far from perfect, as you learn by reading the book.
Susan is a new single mom who started her own elder care business, and she is so together that her company thrived and grew impressively. But her husband has left her for her best friend, and Susan, too, has secrets.
Kellie Scott is back to work for the first time in years,now that her kids have grown old enough she doesn't need to be in the house all the time. She has put on a few pounds--but not many, and the new real estate job works well for her. It's the attention of a male colleague that thrills her as much as dropping those few extra pounds. She's married to hardware-store-owner Jason, (her high-school sweetheart), and it looks to all intents and purposes to be the perfect marriage. But crank up that Sarah Pekkenan analogue scanner, my friend, and prepare for some juicy stuff.
This is the often unsettling story of four women, all of whom develop a common bond, and all of whom have vastly different secrets from one another. Blissful Newport Cove is anything but, and you'll learn that as you dig into this book.
Most chapters begin with excerpts from a neighborhood email list moderated by the effervescent always-on-top-of-things neighborhood manager, Shannon. These messages are so realistic to neighborhood email lists that you will relate if you've ever been on such a list. Again, these excerpts are illustrations of Pekkanen's talent.
Madeline Maby does another of her excellent narrations here. She moves expertly through the book; it is as though she were typing frequencies into your old analogue '90s scanner--offering up those frequencies with the most radio traffic and the juiciest secrets. Best of all, you'll recognize that no neighborhood, no matter how quiet, is as perfect as it may seem--not even yours!