The Family Next Door, by Sally Hepworth (2018)
How well do you know the family next door? That is the premise of this novel. The novel focuses on a few neighbors in a quiet suburban neighborhood of Melbourne, Australia. Essie and Ben seem to have the ideal life. Angie and Lucas seem happy, as do Fran and Nigel. All have young children. When Isabelle moves into a house in the neighborhood, suddenly secrets come out.
Why is Isabelle, who is unmarried and has no children of her own, so interested in the children of her neighbors. Does she really have a job? Why is she so interested in Essie?
After the birth of her first child, Essie, suffering from post-partum depression left her newborn in a park for several hours. After a stint in a psychiatric hospital, she returned to Ben, and they had a second child. Essie’s mother moved nearby to help with the children. Angie and Lucas appear to the outside world as a happy couple, despite Lucas’ past affairs. Can Angie really put his past behind her? Nigel is a loving father, but will his depression cause a rift in his marriage to Fran. Do we really care?
As the novel moves forward, we learn the secrets of the neighbors, but ultimately, their lives are not really all that revealing or satisfying. After having read Sally Hepworth’s novel, The Mother-in-Law, my expectations were high, and this book didn’t meet my expectations.
Read: March 10, 2022
3 Stars
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