Don't Miss

More at Powell's

PowellsBooks.Blog
Interviews | Q&As | Essays

Pyongyang's Cannibal Island

0 comments By Adam Johnson

The 47-story Yanggakdo Hotel is located on Yanggak Island, situated in the Taedong River that bisects Pyongyang. The hotel was built in 1995 by a... Continue »

$18.20 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

The Orphan Master's Son: A Novel of North Korea
Adam JohnsonAdam Johnson 9780812992793

$23.99

New Hardcover

Ships in 1 to 3 days

Qty	Store	Section
10	Local Warehouse	Literature- A to Z
25	Remote Warehouse	Literature- A to Z

More copies of this ISBN

This title in other editions

The Neighbors Are Watching

by Debra Ginsberg

ISBN13: 9780307463869
ISBN10: 0307463869
All Product Details

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Set against the backdrop of the deadly 2007 wildfires that forced the evacuation of half a million San Diego residents, Debra Ginsberg’s new novel, The Neighbors Are Watching, examines the dark side of suburbia—a place where everyone has something to hide.

Aside from their annual block party, the neighbors on Fuller Court tend to keep to themselves—which doesn’t mean that they aren’t all watching and judging each other on the sly. So when pregnant teenager Diana Jones shows up, literally, on her biological father's doorstep, the neighbors can't stop talking. Joe Montana is a handsome restaurant manager who failed to tell his wife Allison that he fathered a baby with an ex-girlfriend seventeen years ago. Allison, already harboring her own inner resentments, takes the news very badly. She isn’t the only one. Diana's bombshell arrival in their quiet cul-de-sac sets off a chain reaction of secrets and lies that threaten to engulf the neighborhood along with the approaching flames from two huge wildfires fanned by the Santa Ana winds.

A former reality TV contestant who receives a steady stream of gentlemen callers at all hours, two women forced to hide their relationship in order to keep custody of their children, a sanctimonious housewife with a very checkered past, and a family who nobody ever sees—these are just a few of the warring neighbors struggling to keep up appearances and protect their own interests. But when lovely, troubled Diana disappears in the aftermath of the wildfire evacuation, leaving her newborn baby and many unanswered questions behind, the residents of Fuller Court must band together to find her before all of their carefully constructed deceptions come unraveled.

A potent blend of domestic drama and suspense, The Neighbors Are Watching reveals the secrets that bloom alongside manicured flowerbeds—and the truths that lurk behind closed doors.

About the Author

San Diego–based writer DEBRA GINSBERG is the author of the memoirs Waiting, Raising Blaze, and About My Sisters, as well as two novels, Blind Submission and The Grift, which was a 2008 Notable Book selection by The New York Times.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

: Denise Morland, November 9, 2010 (view all comments by Denise Morland)
The Neighbors are Watching is a gritty tale of one hot and fiery summer and fall in a San Diego neighborhood. The people on Fuller Court could be the neighbors on any affluent, middle class block. They mostly keep to themselves, furtively watching each other as they go about their daily business, but never really becoming involved. Until one blistering summer day when Joe Montana's pregnant, 17 year old daughter, the one his beloved wife didn't know he had, shows up on his doorstep. The arrival of Diana throws everything on Fuller Court into turmoil. She doesn't play by the unspoken rules of the neighborhood and, soon, dark secrets are being revealed. All this plays out against the back drop of the vicious Santa Ana winds and the arrival of wildfire season.

The intensity of emotion that Debra Ginsberg creates in this book sucked me in and didn't let me go until the end. There weren't any big surprises for me in the plot, but I couldn't put the book down. The use of the wildfire to ratchet up the tension was very effective and really had me hanging on the edge of my seat. There is also a prevailing theme of people having hidden sides, not always being what you think they are from first impressions that made me think about the relationships in my life. You will never look at your neighbors the same, that's for sure! The intrigue, everyday drama, and dark secrets combine with characters I could relate to and sympathize with to make The Neighbors are Watching one of my favorite books of this year!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No

report this comment

Product Details

ISBN:: 9780307463869
Author:: Ginsberg, Debra
Publisher:: NAL Trade
Subject:: General
Subject:: General Fiction
Subject:: Domestic fiction
Subject:: Psychological fiction
Subject:: Literature-A to Z
Subject:: Suspense
Edition Description:: Trade Paper
Publication Date:: 20120904
Binding:: HARDCOVER
Grade Level:: from 12
Language:: English
Pages:: 384
Dimensions:: 9.52 x 6.42 x 1.22 in 1.2938 lb
Age Level:: from 18

Related Aisles

Literature
- A to Z

Follow us on...

RSS 2.0
Log Off

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.