The Neighbours by Renita D’Silva
Love thy neighbour. Fear thy neighbour.
I thought moving to this quiet cul-de-sac was the fresh start my husband and I needed, escaping the noise of our cramped flat in Hounslow. I left India and all that was familiar for a new life with him in England.
But my husband works all hours, leaving me alone in a house that doesn’t feel like a home.
Our neighbours notice the bruises on my arms. They draw the obvious conclusions.
They seem kind, but they’re hiding something.
I just can’t shake the feeling that someone is always watching me . . . waiting.
My husband’s working late. Again. That’s when I see it.
A face pressed to the glass.
A hand waving.
It couldn’t be. Could it?
About the author
Renita D’Silva loves stories both reading and creating them. Her twelfth historical fiction novel, The Secret Keeper, is out on August 12th. Her books have been translated into several languages.
Her short stories have been published in The View from Here, Bartleby Snopes, this zine, Platinum Page, Paragraph Planet, Verve among others, have been nominated for the Pushcart prize, the Best of the Net anthology, shortlisted for the LoveReading Very Short Story award and The Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize and longlisted for the BBC National Short Story award.
Her short story, Eavesdropping Shamelessly, will be published in the Arts Council England funded Bridges Not Borders anthology of prizewinning stories this autumn. Her short story, Vicar, will be published in Death, Volume 12 of Pure Slush publishers’ Lifespan anthology series.
Her first psychological thriller, The Neighbours, won the Joffe Books Prize 2023 and is out on August 15
Review
‘The Neighbours’ is an engaging psychological thriller that is full of twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing right up to the end. This is a new author for me and her back catalogue is packed full of historical fiction which I will be looking to explore. Some of the best passages of this book were when the author was describing the main character's life in India and it was clear it was a place close to her heart, just like mine!
Sapna has just arrived in England after leaving her life in India to be with her husband. After living in a crowded flat in Hounslow, they move out of the city into a semi-detached house in a quiet cul-de-sac. As soon as Sapna enters the house she doesn't like how it feels. It's cold and foreboding. She is soon left by her husband Amir as he is working long hours to pay for the house. She feels isolated and when the neighbours introduce themselves Sapna doesn't like them. She feels as if she is being watched all the time and then one evening she sees a face in the window…one from her past!
I loved Sapna. The author has done a brilliant job of conveying her isolation and genuine terror of her surroundings. The passages about her past were filled full of colour and love, a complete contrast to the drabness of England and her lack of support. The inclusion of the neighbour's point of view broke up the text and showed that not all was happy on the street and it wasn't only Sapna that had secrets and worries. Can't say I like Gemma, but Edith was a complete darling. Can I have her as my Granny, please?
I flew through this book in a few sittings as I wanted to know what was happening! I was engrossed from the get-go and it held my attention right the way through. Some of the passages could have either been elongated or even cut short to ramp up the tension a bit more but overall it was a brilliant read. I will be keeping an eye out for what this author does next!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
