Gwen has lived all of her adult life in the same house with the same neighbours. But things begin to change as the surrounding community gets older. When Gwen’s best friend, Babs, dies and her house is sold to a young family from the city, Gwen takes some time to adjust.

Francesca is career driven, and her husband takes on the primary care role for their four children. When their marriage hits rocky ground, Francesca decides that moving to the suburbs, where they’ll have more space and time for their young family, will help.

Francesca and Gwen become neighbours – and they clash immediately. At first they disagree over a fence, but soon it seems that they can’t agree on anything. Both families suffer because of the conflict and it appears there is room for only one family to stay.

Author Meredith Jaffe takes the reader behind the scenes of one family at the start of their lives in the suburbs and another family almost at the end of their suburban existence, giving us insight into the priorities of these different generations. It’s an easy story to relate to for anyone who has ever lived next door to someone else.

The story becomes nerve-racking when both women lose sight of what is most important in their lives. There are plenty of stressful moments in the book where things have the potential to end badly. Once you start reading The Fence you’ll find it hard to put it down, and you just might feel more kindly toward those who live near you.

Reviewed by Melissa Wilson