Book Review: The Neighbor | Joseph Souza

Wow!!! Wtf but wow!!!

The Neighbor by Joseph Souza just really took me on a ride! This is absolutely a suspense/psychological thriller with some domestic noir and neighborhood noir thrown in the mix. I have seen this book compared to a mix of The Couple Next Door and Gone Girl, but it really is more than that (and different). I can understand why they marketed it that way, but there is a whole extra plotline not captured by those comparisons.

I have seen mixed reviews, and so I want to state upfront that this book is a psychological thriller with an element of racial issues in this country. I don’t say this to spoil (this, I promise you, is not a spoiler), but I do want readers to be aware of that because it can be a controversial topic that some readers love, and others dislike.

About the Book

Leah and Clay find their dream home…

Leah Daniels and her husband Clay have moved their family across country from Seattle to Maine. Clay has pursued his dream of owning a brewery, and Leah is a stay-at-home mom with elementary-aged twins. Every day, as soon as the twins leave for school, Leah finds herself incredibly lonely. The neighborhood they moved to sounded like a dream—all of the houses are new and there was a promise of new families populating the neighborhood with mom groups, friends for their kids, and activity all day long.

Maybe everything isn’t as perfect as they imagined…

However, after the Daniels move in they learn that there were problems with the contractors, and the other houses have remained uninhabited. In fact, the only occupants in the neighborhood are the Daniels and their next door neighbors—Clarissa and Russell Gaines. The Gaines are black and wealthier than the Daniels—they both work for Chadwick University and are attractive, respected, and successful. But Leah finds them stand-offish for reasons she can’t understand. She just wants to be friends with them.

Leah starts to think that if she could just know more about them, she could find a way to befriend them…

Leah begins to watch Clarissa and wait for her to leave the house. She knows their schedule, she peeks in their windows, and eventually, begins entering their home. Sure, the house is unlocked, but Leah knows she shouldn’t be doing this. But Leah can’t help herself. She begins to take small items, and grab a glass of wine.

And then one day while peeking around their home, Leah finds Clarissa’s diary, and nothing will ever be the same…

Reflection

The racial tension in this book was handled well, but it was uncomfortable at times to read about. This, I imagine, was Joseph Souza’s point. All of the racial tension was important and useful to the plot, but the plot could have existed with any mix or non-mix of race. The story is actually about people, and the impact of our actions and thoughts on our future. These themes know no racial boundaries. The book could have had no racial implications and the story would have held.

But, Joseph Souza chose to put them in there, and I think his point was that judging people on their surface attributes—whether it be race, socioeconomic status, career, age, gender, handicap, or behavior—these don’t tell the full story of that individual’s thoughts, emotions, suffering, or experience. People are so much more dynamic than their race. But maybe, race is an easy thing to categorize because it can (sometimes) be seen on a person. And yet, even that Souza calls into question.

I suspect this will be a very polarizing book. There are many scenes that you can feel the discomfort in, even as an outside reader. These scenes are important though. There are also so many things in this book. The description of the plot from the teaser is covered in the first few chapters, and from there you should expect a wild ride!

There were so many times while reading this book where I’d think “Well that certainly took a turn…” This is partially what I enjoyed though! There is absolutely no way that I could have predicted where the book would end up from the first quarter of the book. This is a book where I liked almost none of the characters, but I loved the story. There were so many themes—racial tensions in this country; the way people change from when they meet and how that impacts a marriage; missing people, deaths, and murder; the fine line between interest and obsession; moral grey areas; pushing your personal boundaries; secrets upon secrets upon lies.

How well do we ever know our neighbors? How well can we know the person sleeping beside us? And most important…how well do we ever know ourselves?

Thank you so much to Kensington Books and Joseph Souza for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.