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thephdivabooks 's review for:
Those People
by Louise Candlish
It’s the type of block that everyone wants to live on.... When you live on Lowland Way, you’re one of the privileged few who are protected from the outside by your closely bonded neighborhood association. Until one day, new neighbors move in, and they don’t play by the same rules…
Those People is the 4th book by Louise Candlish that I’ve read and I love that she has such a unique style, voice, and feel to her books that is so quintessentially Candlish. I’d describe her books as neighborhood noir—seemingly peaceful suburban streets where all of the neighbors get along, until one day it becomes clear that those residents aren’t as protected from the outside as they thought.
Candlish explores what happens when your suburban oasis is turned upside down. And most importantly, what happens to seemingly good people when they find out how fragile their lives truly are?
In Those People, we are transported to the idyllic street Lowland Way. This street made headlines and were recognized by the city for their efforts to create “Play-Out Sunday”, a day when they close their street to traffic and let the children play out on the street like their parents did way back when. But when a new neighbor moves in down the street, everything may change.
Darren and Jodie are not like the rest of the residents of Lowland Way. They play loud music at all hours of the night, they sell used cars from their front yard, and they have no interest in things like Play-Out Sunday. But when someone ends up dead, the list of suspects is as long as the resident directory!
In typical Candlish style, none of the characters are especially likeable, but they feel like real people—I could really picture them and they were developed well and quite early. The pace is fast, switching between narrators and police interviews. We see what each person is dealing with, both in terms of the new neighbors as well as behind closed doors. Candlish always plays with the fragility of a great life. It is so easy to feel protected in a bubble—get married, have kids, climb the career ladder, buy a nice house on a nice street. But everything can change so quickly...
I think you’ll find that the new neighbors bring some unattractive qualities to light in these residents, but not necessarily qualities they didn’t already possess. Lowland Way has become a pressure cooker after the new neighbors arrive, and it is only a matter of time until someone—or multiple people—pop off!
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.
Those People is the 4th book by Louise Candlish that I’ve read and I love that she has such a unique style, voice, and feel to her books that is so quintessentially Candlish. I’d describe her books as neighborhood noir—seemingly peaceful suburban streets where all of the neighbors get along, until one day it becomes clear that those residents aren’t as protected from the outside as they thought.
Candlish explores what happens when your suburban oasis is turned upside down. And most importantly, what happens to seemingly good people when they find out how fragile their lives truly are?
In Those People, we are transported to the idyllic street Lowland Way. This street made headlines and were recognized by the city for their efforts to create “Play-Out Sunday”, a day when they close their street to traffic and let the children play out on the street like their parents did way back when. But when a new neighbor moves in down the street, everything may change.
Darren and Jodie are not like the rest of the residents of Lowland Way. They play loud music at all hours of the night, they sell used cars from their front yard, and they have no interest in things like Play-Out Sunday. But when someone ends up dead, the list of suspects is as long as the resident directory!
In typical Candlish style, none of the characters are especially likeable, but they feel like real people—I could really picture them and they were developed well and quite early. The pace is fast, switching between narrators and police interviews. We see what each person is dealing with, both in terms of the new neighbors as well as behind closed doors. Candlish always plays with the fragility of a great life. It is so easy to feel protected in a bubble—get married, have kids, climb the career ladder, buy a nice house on a nice street. But everything can change so quickly...
I think you’ll find that the new neighbors bring some unattractive qualities to light in these residents, but not necessarily qualities they didn’t already possess. Lowland Way has become a pressure cooker after the new neighbors arrive, and it is only a matter of time until someone—or multiple people—pop off!
Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.