The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini

The Boy Next Door

A Novel

Irene Sabatini

Little, Brown and Company · Print & ebook · September 8, 2009

In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, there is a tragedy in the house next door to Lindiwe Bishop -- her neighbor has been burned alive.

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Who it’s for
A serious, immersive read that keeps the emotional pressure on without showing its hand too soon.
Genres
Psychological Fiction, Coming-of-Age
Published
Little, Brown and Company, September 8, 2009

About this book

In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, there is a tragedy in the house next door to Lindiwe Bishop -- her neighbor has been burned alive. The victim's stepson, Ian McKenzie, is the prime suspect but is soon released. Lindiwe can't hide her fascination with this young, boisterous and mysterious white man, and they soon forge an unlikely closeness even as the country starts to deteriorate.

Continue reading

Years after circumstances split them apart, Ian returns to a much-changed Zimbabwe to see Lindiwe, now a sophisticated, impassioned young woman, and discovers a devastating secret that will alter both of their futures, and draw them closer together even as the world seems bent on keeping them apart. The Boy Next Door is a moving and powerful debut about two people finding themselves and each other in a time of national upheaval. Read more

Under the Surface

A serious, immersive read that keeps the emotional pressure on without showing its hand too soon.

Come here for

  • immersion with a serious edge
  • book-club friction around friendship, love, and murder

Expect

  • prestige-leaning YA voice
  • a sustained, page-turning narrative

Where it sits

Coming-of-Age33%
Psychological Fiction32%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Psychological Fiction
  • Biographical Fiction
Authors
Irene Sabatini
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
Published
September 8, 2009
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Psychological Fiction