Synopsis: After Beth and her family move to the suburbs, she struggles to settle in. She misses the close-knit group of friends and neighbours she had in Kingston and longs to reach past the high fences on her street to meet some new people. Beth finds herself particularly drawn to Oksana, her beautiful but cold Russian neighbour. Though her attempts to get to know Oksana are brushed off, Beth remains determined, until one day she sees something in the window of Oksana’s house
Sofia longs to be free. Leaving her family and travelling to England was scary, but not as scary as being trapped as a maid in a house with no passport and no way to get out.
Alternating between Beth and Sofia’s points of view, The Perfect Neighbour shows us that just because someone appears perfect does not mean that they cannot be hiding terrible secrets. You can never know what is happening next door, which begs the question, how involved in your neighbours business are you willing to get?
Review: This book does a really good job mixing classic thriller tropes with a difficult and sensitive subject but I’m sorry to say that it bored me. I didn’t mind the slow start as it allows you to get a sense of both Beth and Sofia’s characters, and helps to build up sympathy for Sofia. However, the chapters ended up feeling very repetitive and the plot seems dragged out which reduced any tension or sense of urgency.
I thought the characterisation was good and made for characters that were thought-out and convincing. The author did a good job expressing Beth’s reluctance to get involved, balancing her people-pleaser attitude with her genuine concern for the girl and I feel that it is clear why Beth acts the way she does. Sofia’s actions similarly make sense with the mix of fear and determination she feels.
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