Now A Major TV Series! "With jaw-dropping discoveries and realistic consequences, this novel is not to be missed. Perfect for lovers of Big Little Lies." —Library Journal, starred review Small, perfect towns often hold the deepest secrets. From the outside, Essie’s life looks idyllic: a loving husband, a beautiful house in a good neighborhood, and a nearby mother who dotes on her grandchildren. But few of Essie’s friends know her secret shame: that in a moment of maternal despair, she once walked away from her newborn, asleep in her carriage in a park. Disaster was avoided and Essie got better, but she still fears what lurks inside her, even as her daughter gets older and she has a second baby. When a new woman named Isabelle moves in next door to Essie, she is an immediate object of curiosity in the neighborhood. Why single, when everyone else is married with children? Why renting, when everyone else owns? What mysterious job does she have? And why is she so fascinated with Essie? As the two women grow closer and Essie’s friends voice their disapproval, it starts to become clear that Isabelle’s choice of neighborhood was no accident. And that her presence threatens to bring shocking secrets to light. The Family Next Door is Sally Hepworth at her very best: at once a deeply moving portrait of family drama and a compelling suburban mystery that will keep you hooked until the very last page.

サリ・ヘップワースは、平穏な住宅街を舞台に「母性」の光と影を鮮やかに描き出します。本作の本質は、産後うつや過去の過ちといった女性が抱える切実な孤独に光を当てた点にあります。完璧を装う日常が謎めいた隣人の登場で崩れ去る様は、読者の倫理観を揺さぶり、隠された真実への渇望を激しく掻き立てます。 映像版では洗練された緊張感が視覚化されていますが、原作の白眉は人物たちの痛切な内面描写にあります。映像が映す表層の美しさと、テキストが暴く生々しい葛藤。両者を味わうことで、物語はより重層的な深みに達します。映像を観た後でも、紙の上の繊細な独白を辿ることで、彼女たちの魂に直接触れるような至高の体験が約束されています。