Perfectly Nice Neighbors - Kia Abdullah

 Perfectly Nice Neighbors - Kia Abdullah

Publication Date: September 12, 2023

She read

The Khatun family moves to Bleinheim in search of a better neighborhood for their teenage son, Zain.  When Salma observes her neighbor, Tom, removing an anti-racist banner placed outside by Zain, she places it in her window.  The next morning, the window has been painted over.  From there, the tensions between neighbors escalates with dangerous, life-altering implications.  

This is a well written exploration of prejudice, intolerance, the dangers of social media, the need for revenge. There are so many themes relevant for our times. 

Composed of three parts, I found the first part to be very unsettling due to the oft time crazed behaviors of the adults.  I enjoyed Part 2 the most and I think that Part 3 will be a catalyst for much contemplation among readers of this book.  I think this would be a good choice for a book club and quite revealing in the discussions that would ensue.  

Thanks to #netgalley #peguingroup #putnam #GPPutnamsons for the ARC.

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