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| Plot Summary of The Boy Next Door |
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"
Berkley, May 2002, 6.99,
ISBN 0425184498
Growing up, as next door neighbors in early 1980s Rushton, England, Mickey and Fred were best friends doing everything together sort of Siamese twins. They expected their friendship to go years beyond their first cigarette and kiss to their last dying breath. However, the death of his father intercedes and the duo is separated as Fred and his family moves away.
Fifteen years later both are ignorant that the other also resides in London. The divorced Mickey raises a son by herself while managing a flower shop. Fred is a marketing manager for an Internet news site. He is engaged, but keeps asking “is that all there is”? That is until he accidentally runs into Mickey. With his wedding one month away, Fred wonders if he loves Mickey or just nostalgic over seeing his best bud from the happiest period in his life?
THE BOY NEXT DOOR uses the technique of alternating first person perspectives (between Fred and Mickey) that Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees are so adept at making work. The “He thinks, She thinks” story line focuses on the angst of the understandable lead characters with flashbacks to their idyllic childhood and the abrupt end of their personal Eden. Though his fiancee Rebecca is not much of a rival as she is too selfish to matter to Fred or readers, this novel will motivate readers to seek previous books from this dynamic duo (COME TOGETHER) while wondering what Josie wrote and what Emlyn wrote.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Boy Next Door |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- Present (2000-2010)
Love Triangles/Polygons
Yes
What kind:
- one man-two women
Matchbreaker
Yes
Matchbreaker is
- jealous suitor/lover
Main Male Character
Profession/status:
- business executive
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
How sexual is this person?
- several sexual encounters
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Female Character
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- small businessman
How sexual is this person?
- very picky
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
What % of story is romance related?
- 70%
Focus of story
- equally on 3 in a l-triangle
How much dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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