... highly entertaining ... Candlish forcefully builds the tension in Those People until it reaches a crescendo that is as frightening as it is believable. It’s understandable that these people might crack under the strain of the emotional turmoil that Darren wreaks on his new neighbors ... Those People skillfully avoids plotting cliches as Candlish’s second novel doesn’t take the easy way out. Domestic thrillers have emerged as one of the hottest trends in the mystery genre and, as she did in her debut Our House, Candlish knows how to turn everyday situations sinister.
It’s a premise ripe for suspense and Candlish delivers ... Those People takes Candlish’s usual themes—the hundreds of small things that fracture relationships, the secrets kept between families and friends, the endless pursuit of skyrocketing property values—and applies them to a whole neighborhood ... Candlish keeps the narrative flowing smoothly. Her talent at juggling multiple characters and voices...flourishes here ... There are a few twists and a nice, nasty surprise at the end, but it all feels organic and earned—Candlish lets her characters do the work and seal their own fates, and there’s a certain enjoyment in watching them do so, even when the reader can all too easily see themselves making the same mistakes ... Those People should cement her reputation not just as a master of domestic suspense but as a top-notch thriller writer.
Louise Candlish...She is an acute observer. She’s sympathetic to her characters' need to establish themselves as economically successful and socially serious. But, by naming the totems they set so much store by—the expensive new windows, the right school for their children, the smart vacation venues—she also suggests their tunnel vision. We see there’s something a little overwrought in the denizens of such places as Lowland Way. The issues the author raises will resonate with readers who live in nice but pricey neighborhoods that they want to keep that way, but the page-turning attention generated by Darren’s arrival fades in its final quarter of the novel because the early focus is on the two Morgan families shifts to Ant and Em and Sissy. Though the picture of their devastated lives is effective, the fading attention to Ralph and Naomi, Tess and Finn are a little bewildering. Nonetheless, this is a compelling summer read that inevitably raises issues about homeowners’ expectations.
It’s hard to tell who are the victims and who are the perpetrators ... the second half of Those People morphs into a standard issue procedural. It brings surprising twists, but it’s overlong, slowly paced and overshadowed by the author’s sharply etched group portrait of 'those people' ... Candlish exposes the smug, hypocritical, selfish attitudes of...[t]he folks along Lowland Way...about as nasty, as hypocritical and, eventually, as violent as the predatory villagers in Shirley Jackson’s short story 'The Lottery.' An ironic and poignant coda suggests at least one person on the street possesses a few grams of humanity. Otherwise, Lowland Way—as its name suggests—is a dispiriting place.
Candlish structures Those People in an interesting manner, ping-ponging the narrative of the first half of the book between the present and the past as she describes prior events while moving slowly toward the present day. She introduces her cast of characters through a revolving door of changing perspectives. This allows us to learn more about the other characters, as well as good old Darren and Jodie, who never really get their turn with the megaphone until things are settled. No one comes off entirely well here, but that is ultimately part of the dark fun of it. And if you feel that you would be better served by living neighborless on a mountain after reading this book, I daresay you wouldn’t be alone in that attitude.
The perfect book for anyone who has ever experienced living on the same street as The Neighbor from Hell ... illustrates both the snobbishness of many of those who live on Lowland Way, and their determination to preserve the status quo as well as their sense of superiority to the Booths ... Though this 'domestic dispute' is described without noticeable bias, one sometimes wishes Candlish had come down harder on one side or the other; but domestic mysteries, the good ones anyway, always portray the truth that what is below the placid surface of peaceful lives in a domestic setting is nearly always darker than outward appearances might reveal.
Candlish’s latest thriller is sure to keep readers turning pages late into the night ... The multiple perspectives create a tapestry that effectively weaves together the intricately plotted yet fast-paced story line. This fiendishly twisty and suspenseful tale of secrets, lies, jealousy, and intrigue keeps readers guessing until the very end. Fans of Celeste Ng and Leila Slimani will be pleased with this contemporary take on families and violence.
... acidly funny and disturbing ... Candlish slyly examines the primitive urges behind her supposedly civilized characters as the novel inexorably turns from light comedy of manners to something much darker. While some of the turns of the plot strain credulity, and some of the characters are better developed than others, Candlish convincingly portrays the effects of pressure on this social microcosm as fault lines open both within the characters and in their relationships ... A nicely paced, wryly intelligent novel with sharp insights into human behavior.
... a cannily plotted if disappointing domestic thriller ... Though Candlish skillfully juggles multiple narrators and frequent flashbacks to maximize suspense, the book’s first half, before the plot grenades detonate in earnest, may frustrate readers expecting more action. Hopefully, she’ll return to form next time.
