Book Review Request - THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR by Yewande Omotoso

[Guest Marlena Brown]

Hello,

I would like to submit Yewande Omotoso's novel for possible review--THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR (Picador; Trade Paperback; $16; 288 pages; February 7, 2017; 978-1-250-12457-9).

The Tenth Commandment is abundantly clear: thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s house.  Of course, it includes a few other things—like spouses, house staff, and barnyard animals. However, Marion Agostino doesn’t care about neighbor Hortensia James’s spouse, housekeeping staff, or pets. What Marion wants is the house that her black neighbor now lives in with her white husband, the first house that Marion ever designed—her magnum opus. In her stunning U.S. debut, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR, Yewande Omotoso, an Etisalat Prize finalist, weaves a tale of conflict, unexpected common ground, and forgiveness while tackling issues of race and class in post-Apartheid South Africa.

Hortensia and Marion are both recently widowed, successful women with impressive careers. Full of spite and spitfire, the two women snip and snipe at each other with the deadly precision of a sharpshooter. Yet buried beneath their mutual hostility and pride lurk disappointments, secrets and shame. When an unexpected event forces the two women to live under the same roof, arguments melt away into conversation as each woman discovers that their differences seem minor in comparison to their shared experiences, forcing them to a crossroad: Will their connection lead to a meaningful friendship? Or are they both too set in their ways to change?
 
A witty and incisive tale about forgiveness and finding authentic connection in the unlikeliest of places, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR marks the introduction of a tremendous new talent to U.S. readers and proves that loving thy neighbor is easier said than done. I hope you enjoy and look forward to chatting with you about THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR soon.

Best, Marlena Brown

marlena.brown@picadorusa.com; 646-307-5633