Dangerous Neighbors: the first review

Every time I post this cover image I sigh, happily.  This evening I am sighing doubly happily, for I have read what is in fact the first review of Dangerous Neighbors, a five-star YABooksCentral review, and it touches my heart deeply.  For now I share these words, which do such an outstanding job of capturing a story that, in my five years of working on it, I struggled to adequately sum up.

Originally I was just going to tell you exactly what the author, Beth Kephart, tells you about Dangerous Neighbors: “It is 1876, the height of the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Katherine has lost her twin sister, Anna, and though it was an accident, Katherine remains convinced that Anna’s death was her fault. One wickedly hot September day, Katherine sets out for the exhibition grounds to cut short the life she is no longer willing to live. This is the story of what happens.” But that would leave out a lot because Dangerous Neighbors is about more than feeling the loss of a sister. It is about sisters, especially twin sisters, and how they are a part of each other. It is about the inevitable maturing and ultimate growing apart of siblings. It is about the world in 1876 and one parent’s fight for equality. It is about having someone to care for and how that spark of caring can change everything.

Thank you so much, reviewer Ed Goldberg.