Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson

NOSY NEIGHBORS by Freya Sampson (The Lost Ticket) is another heartwarming adventure about forming a community. The story is set in London, most often taking place in Shelley House on Poet’s Road – an aged Victorian converted to flats where seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling has lived for over thirty years. Across the landing lives Joseph Chambers who (accompanied by his dog Reggie) forms a one-man campaign against plans to tear down the house and replace it with a new development. Joseph is older, too, and takes in a boarder, pink-haired twenty-something Kat Bennett. There are a total of six flats and each of the other residents – Gloria, Tomasz, an unnamed anti-social young man, and a father and daughter – is preoccupied with his or her own issues. Gradually they come to know and care for each other. A special bond forms between Dorothy and Kat, but that is sorely tested by some tragic circumstances from the past. Overall, this is an uplifting read where initially lonely and confused characters grow and learn to support each other. Along the way, they solve a mystery or two while working hard at redeeming Shelley House. Book groups take note: discussion questions are included.