The Perfect Neighborhood by Liz Alterman
Published on January 04, 2024
Reviewed by Marybeth Ginsberg
Idyllic Oak Hill is the perfect neighborhood. There is not a blade of grass out of place, or so it seems. Families move to Oak Hill because of the tree-lined streets, great schools, and desirable homes. So, when a young boy goes missing on an ordinary afternoon, tensions are high, and accusations begin to fly. Then, as if one missing child isn’t enough, a second child goes missing. Life quickly begins to unravel in The Perfect Neighborhood (2022).
Rachel, the mother of the missing kindergarten boy, can no longer concentrate. Her faltering marriage leads her to suspect that her teenage stepson may have abducted her five-year-old. Cassidy, the teenage babysitter, knows that a clandestine love affair with a much older man is likely to come under scrutiny since she was late to arrive at the house of the missing boy to assume her babysitting duties. Allison, disappointed in her failed attempts to have children, decides she has had enough and leaves town. Sarah, the mother of three young children, adores her family and must reevaluate her priorities when she realizes that her pressing desire to attend a neighborhood barbecue was the reason she called on Cassidy to babysit, despite knowing there were red flags.
Things are not what they seem, and the truth begins to unravel with the disappearance of two children. “In Oak Hill, gossip is like oxygen—it’s everywhere, sustaining us.” But do people really know what goes on behind closed doors? Author Liz Alterman keeps the reader spellbound as seemingly perfect lives and a “storybook existence” come undone in Oak Hill. As the clock ticks, secrets are exposed, and readers begin to really see that the Perfect Neighborhood is not so perfect after all.
Liz Alterman lives in New Jersey with her family. She is the author of Sad Sacked (2021) and He’ll be Waiting (2021). Liz Alterman will be presenting her workshop – “How to Craft a Compelling Query Letter ” here at the Morris County Library on Saturday, April 20th at 10 am in the public meeting room. This program is free to the public and is first come, first served.
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐