A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler is set in Oak Knoll, a tight-knit neighborhood in North Carolina. When a semi-famous, rich white celebrity moves in with his family next door to Valerie, a single black Mom, an ecology professor, and her teenage son, at first things seem like they might be ok. But when the building of their new mansion and fence begins to encroach upon and slowly kill her 100 year old oak tree, Valerie finds it increasingly hard to be a good neighbor. Tensions rise on both sides while unbeknownst to their parents, the teenage kids have started a secret romance.

Fowler writes from the perspective of the neighborhood, it took me a while to understand who the “we” that was narrating the book was, but it works beautifully to show how the dynamic between these neighbors affects the whole neighborhood; everyone is watching to see what will happen next. The story builds with a slow burn that finally just ignites. Fowler touches on issues of class, race, entitlement, family, morality and sexual assault. This book is powerful, haunting, and tragic, a beautifully written cautionary tale. I could not put it down, and I will not soon forget it. A great read.