The Boy Next Door

The boy next door

Ð'Ñœ Authors

The authors of the book are: Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees

Ð'Ñœ Title

The title of this book is: The boy next door. The authors choose this title for the novel, because Fred was “the boy next door” for Mickey. They spent a lot of their childhood together, because they were neighbours.

Ð'Ñœ Pages

The book has 293 pages.

Ð'Ñœ Year

The novel was first published in 2001.

Ð'Ñœ Setting

The story takes place in the 1980s and also fifteen years later (about 1995). The story takes place in Rushton, a village in England and in a town in England, but its name hasn’t been told. It’s a love affair.

Ð'Ñœ Plot

Fred is about to get married to Rebecca, but then he bumps into Mickey, his best friend and first love from the past. Mickey is a single mother and has a son, Joe. She has her own flower shop. At first Fred doesn’t know how to react, because he let his past behind him (later in the book you’ll find out why. It’s about his strange dad, Miles, who killed someone and later killed himself). After the weird meeting after fifteen years in the toy store, Fred decides to get in touch with Mickey. They see each other a few times and they both have a nice time. Fred also likes Joe and vice versa. Mickey is starting to fall in love again with Fred and Fred is also a bit falling in love with Mickey, but he’s getting married in a few weeks! They don’t tell each other about their feelings. When Mickey and Joe make a trip to Rushton, the place where Mickey and Fred lived when they were young, Fred comes also to visit. Together they drag up nice stories from their childhood. They are almost having sex, until Mickey decides that it isn’t good when they’ll have sex. It’s not good for Joe, not for Fred, not for Rebecca and not for herself, because then she really would be in love with him again and they can’t have a relationship because of Rebecca. Fred thinks she’s right, but when he comes home again he tells Rebecca that he can’t marry her because of Mickey. In the end Fred tells Mickey (through long-winded ways) that she should meet him and “if you want to, you’d know where.” Mickey goes to Rushton, to the place where they first kissed, but he isn’t there. Then suddenly she hears a car horn and she sees him, he’s nearby, at the bridge. They fall in each others arms and their fingers fold together, they both agree to never let go.

Between the story above, there’s also a second storyline. It’s about the past, the relationship between Mickey and Fred. You read about their first kiss, Fred’s dad, the time they’re having sex and get caught and more of those things. This storyline is told in flashbacks from both points of view.

Ð'Ñœ Theme

The authors wrote this story not with a particular theme. It’s just a nice romantic book about love.

Ð'Ñœ Main persons

Fred Wilson: He’s a marketing manager, he’s about thirty years old. He is engaged to Rebecca. He spent a lot of his childhood with Mickey, they were very good friends. Mickey is also his first love. He is a round character, you get to know him better in the course of the story.

Mickey: She’s a florist and has her own flowershop, she’s about thirty years old. She has a son named Joe and is a single mother. She spent a lot of her childhood with Fred, they were very good friends. Fred is also his first love and he was “the boy next door”. She is a round character, you get to know her better in the course of the story.

Ð'Ñœ Point of view

The main persons tell the story. Every chapter you read the story from another point of view. First from Fred’s point of view, then Mickey’s, then Fred’s again and so on.

Ð'Ñœ Personal opinion

I really liked the book, I very much enjoyed