The Girl Next Door: A Novel
by Elizabeth Noble
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Book Summary Information
Author: Elizabeth NobleEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-12-22
ISBN: 143915483X
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Touchstone
Book Reviews of The Girl Next Door: A Novel
Book Review: "I have to know I can trust you."
Summary: 5 Stars
In the beginning of "The Girl Next Door," Elizabeth Noble gives a brief description of more than twenty characters, most of whom live or work in an Upper East Side apartment building. This may seem like an overwhelmingly large cast, but the author individualizes them enough so that we will not need to keep flipping back to the list. Some of the residents are mentioned only in passing and will be quickly forgotten. Others take center stage and they are fascinating, each one harboring his or her fantasies, memories, and regrets.
Violet Wallace, who is eighty-two and a bit reserved, has been living in the building longer than anyone else. Charlotte Murphy, twenty-nine, reads romances by the bushel and fantasizes about having a lover of her own. Emily Mikanowski, thirty-one and a triathlete, is uninterested in dating until the shiftless Jackson Grayling III, twenty-six, emerges from his indolence long enough to notice her gorgeous blue eyes. Madison Cavanagh is beautiful but shallow, ambitious, and promiscuous. Noble also focuses on three married couples: Rachael and David Schulman appear to have a perfect partnership until an act of betrayal comes between them; Jason and Kimberly Kramer are drifting apart and neither one is willing to admit it; Eve and Ed Gallagher moved to New York from Surrey, England, and the lonely Eve is chagrined when she realizes that her workaholic husband no longer has much time for her.
Noble takes turns eavesdropping on the aforementioned individuals. As the omniscient narrator, she has great sympathy for the many ways in which people distance themselves from reality and from one another. Instead of trying to fix his marriage, Jason lusts after Rachael; Jackson sleeps late, parties too much, and lives off his indulgent parents ("No rat race for Jackson Grayling III."); Kimberley spoils her daughter, Avery, who has displaced Jason as Kim's top priority; Charlotte has a crush on one of the doormen, but she is too shy to approach him.
Although this is a light, breezy, and entertaining story, it also has a hint of sadness. Not everyone is destined to fulfill his or her dreams. Noble is a skillful and smart writer who emphasizes the importance of honest communication, genuine friendship, and reasonable expectations. Even the most appealing of her characters is flawed, yet we grow to identify and care about them, almost as if they were our own neighbors. "The Girl Next Door" has tenderness, wit, tragedy, and a few surprises. Noble poignantly and effectively explores the risks and rewards of making oneself vulnerable to another human being.
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