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bookishthoughtsandspots 's review for:
A Good Neighborhood
by Therese Anne Fowler
In a nutshell: A story aimed at highlighting and tackling white privilege, but misses the mark on several counts.
I wanted to read this for quite some time and was happy when my book club chose this as the monthly pick. I enjoyed the writing, but the plot just made me uncomfortable for all the wrong reasons.
Oak Knoll, a community in North Carolina, is, all in all, a good neighborhood. That is... until the Whitman's purchase a piece of property. The home that stood there is demolished and replaced with a large house that is noticeably more lavish than the rest. The greenery is removed and a concrete pool is put in without proper zoning laws, disrupting the ecosystem around it. Valerie, who lives directly behind the house with her teenage son Xavier, is immediately distraught with the arrival of Brad Whitman, somewhat of a celebrity in the HVAC community, and his seemingly clueless family. Valerie is especially concerned when she notices her beloved oak tree in her backyard is dying because of the new pool. Matters are further complicated as a relationship buds between Xavier and Juniper Whitman, whose stepfather (Brad) is oddly protective of her.
I like the writing style and the book kept me wanting to read what happens, which is why I gave it three stars. But while I appreciate what the author was trying to do, I think the plot is very flawed.
Like many people who criticized this book, I am annoyed by the unseen narrator and I do not appreciate the one dimensional characters. We are all meant to love Valerie and Xavier and hate pretty much everyone else. The problem is that everyone has flaws. We are all perfectly flawed, but this book just misses the mark. Apparently Xavier doesn't have regular sexual urges like teenage boys. It's okay to say he wants to have sex with Juniper, but this book makes it seem like he longs for "connection" which he has with Juniper and not a lot of these other one night stands. I just don't buy it. And from the beginning, because he and Valerie are meant to be the perfect characters that readers are meant to love, you know things will go downhill fast.
It's also the fact that the Whitmans are clearly written to be downright terrible. Doe-eyed, naive, and clueless Julia, who fell for Brad, a pompous, misogynistic pervert who encouraged his step daughter Juniper to go through a "purity" pledge. They are destined to be the bad guys.
What's more, every other character is on the Whitman's side. The lawmakers, the health care workers, and more. Is that real life?
What results is just something that is uncomfortable to read. It's not written the way that books like The Hate U Give are written, which highlight not only all character flaws, but flaws within society with accuracy. This book tells you what is wrong with our society in terms of racism, whereas other books aim to show you what is wrong with the hope of making you take a look back.
With that said, I do appreciate what the author was aiming to do with this book.
I wanted to read this for quite some time and was happy when my book club chose this as the monthly pick. I enjoyed the writing, but the plot just made me uncomfortable for all the wrong reasons.
Oak Knoll, a community in North Carolina, is, all in all, a good neighborhood. That is... until the Whitman's purchase a piece of property. The home that stood there is demolished and replaced with a large house that is noticeably more lavish than the rest. The greenery is removed and a concrete pool is put in without proper zoning laws, disrupting the ecosystem around it. Valerie, who lives directly behind the house with her teenage son Xavier, is immediately distraught with the arrival of Brad Whitman, somewhat of a celebrity in the HVAC community, and his seemingly clueless family. Valerie is especially concerned when she notices her beloved oak tree in her backyard is dying because of the new pool. Matters are further complicated as a relationship buds between Xavier and Juniper Whitman, whose stepfather (Brad) is oddly protective of her.
I like the writing style and the book kept me wanting to read what happens, which is why I gave it three stars. But while I appreciate what the author was trying to do, I think the plot is very flawed.
Like many people who criticized this book, I am annoyed by the unseen narrator and I do not appreciate the one dimensional characters. We are all meant to love Valerie and Xavier and hate pretty much everyone else. The problem is that everyone has flaws. We are all perfectly flawed, but this book just misses the mark. Apparently Xavier doesn't have regular sexual urges like teenage boys. It's okay to say he wants to have sex with Juniper, but this book makes it seem like he longs for "connection" which he has with Juniper and not a lot of these other one night stands. I just don't buy it. And from the beginning, because he and Valerie are meant to be the perfect characters that readers are meant to love, you know things will go downhill fast.
It's also the fact that the Whitmans are clearly written to be downright terrible. Doe-eyed, naive, and clueless Julia, who fell for Brad, a pompous, misogynistic pervert who encouraged his step daughter Juniper to go through a "purity" pledge. They are destined to be the bad guys.
What's more, every other character is on the Whitman's side. The lawmakers, the health care workers, and more. Is that real life?
What results is just something that is uncomfortable to read. It's not written the way that books like The Hate U Give are written, which highlight not only all character flaws, but flaws within society with accuracy. This book tells you what is wrong with our society in terms of racism, whereas other books aim to show you what is wrong with the hope of making you take a look back.
With that said, I do appreciate what the author was aiming to do with this book.