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Book Reviews Title The Boy
Next Door Fiction-Net
Rating Buy It
From Amazon.co.uk - BUY
NOW! Cover
Story It's the 1980s in
the sleepy English village of Rushton, and Mickey
and Fred are next-door neighbours and best friends.
In and out of scrapes from the day they're born,
they share everything, from their first cigarette
to their first kiss. They're convinced that nothing
will ever keep them apart. But they're
wrong. Fifteen years
later, Mickey is beginning a new phase of her life,
with a small flower shop in London. Squeezed into
the tiny flat above, she's a loving, if chaotic,
single mum, juggling home and work and trying to
build a secure life. Fred, too, has
moved on. Surrounded by the trappings of success -
an exciting career and a London lifestyle - he's
set to marry his gorgeous girlfriend in just a few
short weeks. Then he bumps into Mickey for the
first time since their worlds fell
apart. Tentatively
picking up the threads of their lost friendship,
Fred and Mickey find themselves reliving their
glory day growing up in Rushton. But can they ever
really overcome the devastating events that once
tore them apart? And is it true what they say about
first loves being forever? Warm, funny and
moving, The Boy Next Door is about growing up,
falling in and out of love and learning you're
never too old to be a kid. We
Say Josie Lloyd and
Emlyn Rees created a masterpiece with their first
co-written novel, Come Together. Using the 'he
said/she said' approach, where one character tells
the story for a chapter and then the other lead
character narrates for the next, the authors
created a system which has been emulated since, but
never matched for effectiveness. The hardest task
in writing this novel was always going to be
creating believable characters who we actually care
about, whilst using the same 'he said/she said'
approach. The Boy Next Door
introduces us to Fred and Mickey (who is, by the
way, female). Friends for many years during their
childhood, they are split by disturbing events more
involving their parents than themselves. Fifteen
years later, Fred and Mickey have a chance meeting
and the emotions they felt in the past are dragged
kicking and screaming to the surface. Trouble is,
Fred's engaged and due to tie the knot in a matter
of weeks. The Boy Next Door
concentrates very much on the two lead characters,
with only Fred's fiancé Rebecca getting much
of a look in. Fred's friend, Eddie shows potential
for being an interesting character but remains a
distant backdrop for most of the story. It would be
fair to say that it would have been nice to see a
little more interaction with someone other than the
central three characters. But seeing as were left
mainly in the company of Fred and Mickey, do they
deserve our attention? You'd better believe
it. The first chapter
of The Boy Next Door kicks off with Fred and much
time is spent dealing with thoughts of his father,
who we learn died in as yet unclear tragic
circumstances. At first reading, the first chapter
can seem a little slow and the relationship between
Fred and his father somewhat muted. However, this
is not accidental or ineffective writing and as the
story develops, so will your understanding. The
second chapter, when we first hear directly from
Mickey, is a fast-paced delight which immediately
drags the reader into the adventure. From this
moment on, you will be in no doubt that what you
are reading is pure quality and the pace never lets
up. The story slips
in and out of the past, revealing Fred and Mickey's
childhood and teenage years together, but the
amount revealed of their history is cleverly
balanced so as to drag you back to the present when
you'll be itching for more. As Fred and Mickey
wrestle with their feelings for each other, the
reader is made to feel the same emotional turmoil
being felt by Fred and Mickey. The question to be
answered, of course, is whether they can get it
together again after all these years despite the
apparently unavoidable obstacles. More
emotionally-hitting than humourous, The Boy Next
Door is a superb piece of fiction - Josie Lloyd
& Emlyn Rees at their very best. Review by: Rob
Cook |
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