In the Neighborhood of True

by Susan K Carlton and Susan Kaplan Carlton

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of In the Neighborhood of True in exchange for a fair and honest review.

In the Neighborhood of True is the story of a young woman trying to find herself while also figuring out the values that mean the most to her in life. It’s an absolutely beautiful tale, and for a multitude of reasons.
It’s a historical fiction novel set in the 1950’s, and it’s heavily focused on the racism and anti-Semitism of the time. That alone makes this novel extremely important. What is more though, are the lines it draws between those moments in the past, and the present. It forces the reader to realize what is happening even today (and for those that are affected by anti-Semitism and racism it likely rings painfully true).
Ruth is torn between the world she’s built for herself that she loves, and the world she was born into. She can’t have it both ways, but for just a while it would be nice to pretend.


Warnings: In the Neighborhood of True is unabashedly about racism and anti-Semitism. A lot of the novel is pretty heavy for that reason, though no less important because of that. There are events that are uncomfortable, and events that are outright painful.
In the Neighborhood of True caused a tumult of emotions as I read, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that fact. There are novels that open your eyes to what is important, and this is one of them. This novel draws connections between racism and anti-Semitism, connections between the past and the present. It all becomes unavoidable and undeniable.
I particularly loved how the novel started. I don’t always love it when a novel begins with a point later on, but in this case it worked out really well. It gave us a hint to where Ruth’s character was leading, and left us with more questions than answers. Naturally we couldn’t do anything other than continue reading.
Ruth is a strong and fascinating character. It was impossible not to be fond of her – especially when it was so easy to see how torn she was. She had an extremely difficult choice to make, no matter how much we’d like to overlay our own opinions on the matter. The truth is that while it may appear black and white to people on the outside, that sort of decision isn’t always easy. And I don’t blame her for her struggle, or for her need to fit in or go for what she wants.
That’s actually what made this novel so human. There were so many complex situations and emotions being thrown around, but it never surpasses what a single person experiences in their lifetime, if that makes any sense. Everything that happened in this novel was perfectly believable, because it happens so frequently.
I can honestly say that this was the first novel I read that delved so heavily into anti-Semitism and Jewish culture while not being set during the Holocaust. First, that says that I need to do some digging for more books of this nature. And second, it means that this book will forever hold a special place in my heart. So thank you, Susan Kaplan Carton, for that.
I think my one and only complaint about this novel would be that it was a tiny bit too predictable for my liking. I enjoyed reading about the situations and characters, even as I sort of had a feeling about where everything was going to lead in the end. As far as complaints go though, that’s not a very big one.
I can’t wait to see what Susan Kaplan Carlton comes out with next. Her writing style alone would have me interested in reading anything else she publishes. I’m looking forward to seeing what it will be.


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks