The Suburban Abyss: A Novel by Cathryn Grant

Rating:  3 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
When construction begins on the new medical center directly behind their homes, the residents of the neighboring cul-de-sac find their lives flipped upside down. Each has their own way of coping with the intrusion. Some choose to ignore the monstrosity. Others try to fight back in the small ways they know how. Yet others wait, plot and plan - just in case.

While the construction gives the individual residents a reason to come together, each one begins to realize just how little they knew about their neighbors. Secrets, no matter how deeply buried, have a way of creeping through the muck and revealing themselves for all to see. These residents begin to learn this the hard way as an unnerving discovery is made within the dirt pit of the construction site. They feared the outside intrusion but how well can they trust their neighbors?

Review:
After winning this book from a free giveaway at Goodreads.com, I couldn't wait for it to arrive so that I could delve into this neighborhood and discover what may be lurking under the shiny, pleasant exterior of those facades. I have to say that if I could give the book a half rating, then my final rating for this would be a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The author does a wonderful job of describing both the area in which the characters live and the characters themselves. Each one has a distinct personality with varied reactions to the threat of urban development lingering near their backyards. It was easy to tell how the person was going to react once they were established in your mind. I also liked how varied the backgrounds of the characters were. Yes, they had some similarities as neighbors sometimes do but in large part, they each brought some kind of different angle to the picture of the whole cul-de-sac.

While the story was engaging and the characters intriguing, the amount of time spent building up to the action was more than I expected. The action itself felt a bit rushed toward the end as everything came to a head and then resolved in a few chapters. To me, it felt like a ride building up steam and then jerking to a stop suddenly. I would have liked to either had the action begin a little earlier or more insight added to the conclusion.

Overall, I really liked the plot and the characters did remind me of some people that I've met along the way. The very fact that they resembled real people with real flaws brought the story a little too close to home a few times. It certainly makes you wonder who might be sleeping in the house next to you. If you're looking for a story that will draw you in and peel back the shiny layer of appearances to show you the dark side of reality, then this book is right up your alley. Better make sure you lock those doors first. You wouldn't want the neighbors to know your secrets.

The Suburban Abyss: A Novel by Cathryn Grant can be bought in either paperback or Kindle form. The book was originally published in paperback in January 2013 by D2C Perspectives. It can be purchased from Amazon.com by following the link provided below.
The Suburban Abyss: A Novel by Cathryn Grant