“The Neighbors Are Watching” by Debra Ginsberg, $23.99
A sense of fear and loathing seeps beyond through the pristine homes, the well-maintained lawns and the seemingly perfect families of a cul-de-sac on the edge of San Diego’s woods.
While the threat of devastating fires looms, this quiet neighborhood erupts when 17-year-old pregnant Diana Jones shows up in the driveway of her biological father, Joe Montana.
While Joe has always known he had a daughter, he has played no role in her life nor ever helped support her or her African-American mother. Joe also never told his wife, Allison, about his child who was born years before they married.
Angry and isolated, Diana affects the quiet existence of several families in the neighborhood. Joe’s selfishness is exposed. Allison goes into deep depression, feeling betrayed because Joe never told her about Diana and they are childless.
A lesbian couple reevaluates their life together while an Asian family becomes even more isolated. Controlling and belligerent Dick Werner, who fancies himself the leader of the neighborhood, feels a personal affront by the presence of this biracial teenager who begins hanging around his son, Keith.
While Dick has barely been civil to his lesbian neighbors, he can’t contain his bigotry toward Diana. But Dick has no idea what is going on in his own home, from the secrets his wife, Dorothy, hides, or the drugs his son takes.
In “The Neighbors Are Watching,” Debra Ginsberg delivers an unpredictable family drama that acts as an in-depth character study of each person who lives in the cul-de-sac.
The threat of violence simmers through Ginsberg’s third stand-alone novel, which moves at a brisk pace. Each character is in pain and disappointed with their lives; “The Neighbors Are Watching” is filled with insightful scenes of domesticity that reveal personalities and emotions.
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