‘On a Quiet Street’ takes readers on page-turning journey into suburban dysfunction
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Brighten Hills is a gated community with stunning homes and lush backyards on the Oregon coast. Few people know what is happening behind the closed doors of their neighbors, but this quiet neighborhood will explode as secrets surface from one household to another. Who knew that philandering husbands, drugs and domestic violence are hidden inside the beautiful homes on the street. This domestic drama is narrated by three strong, determined women ready to take on their own conflicts as well as providing help and support to each other.
Cora, a selfless mom to her teenage daughter, is very active with community charity events. She is positive that her husband Finn, is cheating on her but hasn’t been able to catch him in the act. She hesitantly enlists the help of her neighbor Paige who specializes in snooping into the lives of her neighbors. Paige and her husband Grant lost their son in a hit and run incident on their street that Paige doesn’t think was an accident. She is drowning in the kind of grief that makes people do reckless things. She will go to any length to find the “killer” of her son. This obsession has driven her husband out of their home and into an apartment above his restaurant. Both Cora and Paige think it’s very strange that another neighbor Georgia ,who is a young mom with a baby, never ventures out of her house. Her husband Lucas is a well known judge who tells people that his wife is agoraphobic from a previous trauma. Something doesn’t seem quite right. Cora and Paige team up to find out just what is going on. We learn more about these three women page by page. They set into motion a series of events none of them could have predicted.
The author addresses sensitive subjects, but she also interjects humor throughout the story, especially when the women devise their own schemes to find evidence that the men are lying. Paige’s bad behaviors are entertaining. She is a dynamic sleuth who I would want on my side. Cora is tired of being a a nagging suspicious wife and I admire how she grew stronger chapter after chapter. Poor Georgia just needs all the help she can get to escape her husband and protect her baby. These women are cleaver, innovative, and resourceful, as they unite to support each other. You will love them. In the end justice is served in a unexpected but satisfying way.
This book is a good one to read on a rainy day. You will want to keep turning the pages to find out how much trouble these three can get into. You may not want to get too friendly with your neighbors. Everything isn’t always what it appears to be.
Questions
Does Cora really want to know the truth about her husband?
Do you think Paige took it too far setting up Finn?
What brought these three women together ?
Were you surprised by Georgia’s story?
Which character do you admire the most and why?
Were you satisfied with the ending?
Do you agree that humor helped to deal with the tough stuff?
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Jacquie O’Neil, mother of Times Leader Media Group Publisher Kerry Miscavage reviewed this book. She and her daughter each contribute to this column.