Book Club Buzz: A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD by Therese Anne Fowler

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March 2, 2021

A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD

Therese Anne Fowler

St. Martin's Press

3/2/21

Fiction

Paperback, 336 pages

In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son, Xavier, who’s headed to college in the fall. All is well until the Whitmans—a family with new money and a secretly troubled teenage daughter—raze the house and trees next door to build themselves a showplace.

With little in common except a property line, these two families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie's yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers.

A Good Neighborhood asks important questions about life in America today—what does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don't see eye to eye?—as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending love in a story that’s as provocative as it is powerful.

One of NPR's Best Books of 2020

"A provocative, absorbing read."

-People

“A feast of a read... I finished A Good Neighborhood in a single sitting. Yes, it’s that good.”

-Jodi Picoult

Dear Reader,

It all began with a dying oak tree in my own backyard. I’d chosen my house years earlier because of that tree, and now its root system had been damaged by the construction of a new house next door. The tree was doomed. This felt like just one more wrong thing in what were increasingly troubling times.

One of the ways writers deal with distress is by writing about it. Every story I’ve written has at its heart a “what if?” question. For A Good Neighborhood, that question was “What if this were happening to a woman who valued that tree more than almost anything else?” From that question grew a modern fable of warring families and star-crossed love.

Some books are passive entertainment (and we all need that sometimes!). Others, like this one, are meant to provoke thought and discussion. If you’re in a book group, you’ll find there is a lot to talk about here. Even if you’re reading just for yourself, you may find you’ll want to discuss this story with a friend. Whatever the case, I hope you find it a worthwhile read.

With gratitude,

Therese

A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD

Book Club Menu

Book group gatherings, like the one in my novel, are often pot-luck affairs where members share crowd-pleasing favorites.

Xavier, who likes to pop into Valerie’s club gatherings and fill a plate, is especially keen on a hot dip made from cream cheese, Rotel spicy tomatoes, and crumbled pork sausage (so simple!). This dip happens to also be my favorite, and pairs well with fresh tortilla chips and icy cold light beer or crisp white wine.

And speaking of tortilla chips, another of my favorite indulgences shows up later in the book, when Xavier and Juniper are musing about owning a food truck: nachos! This leads to Xavier talking about poutine, a savory Canadian dish that, traditionally, is fried russet potatoes topped with cheese curds and gravy. Juniper suggests fried tortillas topped with cinnamon sugar and vanilla ice cream. If I were in a book group discussing A Good Neighborhood, I might suggest a creative-nachos contest, based on the teens’ nachos brainstorm. Or creative poutine. (This is making me hungry!) Basically, if a dish has lots of bits and bites to it and I can eat it with my fingers, I call that a win.

-Therese Anne Fowler

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