"A delightful look at reunited love"

When we first meet Fred Wilson, he's sitting on a London rooftop staring into a camcorder as he helps his flat mate Eddie with his film project. On the surface, Fred has it all: a successful career at a news-as-it-happens dot.com; a beautiful, if a bit shallow, fiancée; and a large group of friends. But as he struggles to find something to say to the camera about his life he realizes that something is missing. Something he can't quite put his finger on.

Meanwhile across town, Mickey Maloney is stuck in traffic and trying valiantly to avoid the "window washers" that patrol the cars looking to make a quick buck. Divorced with a nine-year-old son, Mickey recently moved and opened her own flower shop. Like Fred, she just can't help feeling something is missing in her life.

Mickey and Fred grew up together in the same village. Inseparable as children, they grew closer as they grew older until tragedy separated them permanently. But fate has a way of intervening. One evening while shopping for a kite at a toy store, Mickey runs into Fred. Although it's an uncomfortable meeting, Fred later seeks out Mickey at her flower shop. What begins as a stilted reunion grows into something beautiful as Fred and Mickey get to know each other as adults.

Mickey and Fred are perhaps the most wonderfully fleshed out characters I've met in recent memory. I think a big part of this is because Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees used a unique dual first-person perspective when writing. The book is divided into sections, alternating between Mickey's point of view and Fred's. Also integrated are flashbacks to their childhood that give the reader a keen insight into their characters. They're easy to get to know, easy to like, and easy to root for. The only weak point that bothered me was Rebecca, Fred's fiancée. She's straight out of central casting and only serves to further Fred's confusing relationship with Mickey. This minor quibble aside, I truly enjoyed this book.

Reader interest warning: The Boy Next Door is written in alternating first person point of view, and has a lot of flashback scenes. If this style doesn't interest you, you might skip the book. But if you like to read about people you could probably know in real life, and first person doesn't bother you, I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Kelly Jones
Posted May 8, 2002