Locust Lane: A Novel

“‘Locust Lane’ is as perceptive as it is compulsively readable.”
―The Washington Post

For fans of Mystic River by Dennis Lehane and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, Stephen Amidon’s Locust Lane is a taut and utterly propulsive story about the search for justice and the fault lines of power and influence in a seemingly idyllic town. Can anyone be trusted?

On the surface, Emerson, Massachusetts, is just like any other affluent New England suburb. But when a young woman is found dead in the nicest part of town, the powerful neighbors close ranks to keep their families safe. In this searing novel, Eden Perry’s death kicks off an investigation into the three teenagers who were partying with her that night, each a suspect. Hannah, a sweet girl with an unstable history. Jack, the popular kid with a mean streak. Christopher, an outsider desperate to fit in. Their parents, each with motivations of their own, only complicate the picture: they will do anything to protect their children, even at the others’ expense.

With a brilliantly woven, intricately crafted plot that gathers momentum on every page, this is superb storytelling told in terse prose―a dynamic read that is both intensely gripping and deeply affecting.

From the Publisher

AN INTERVIEW WITH STEPHEN AMIDON

What themes did you set out to explore in writing Locust Lane?

The book’s main theme is one that has interested me throughout my career: In a crisis, how far would you go to protect your child? What secrets would you keep? What laws would you break? In Locust Lane, every main character is a parent dealing with a child in trouble, whether they are a victim of crime, struggle with addiction, or face grave accusations.

The narrative is told from alternating perspectives of the parents in the community, rather than the teenagers, who were closest to the victim and the crime. Why did you decide to tell this story from their various points of view?

My novel is about the terrible event that happens in that big house on Locust Lane, but it is also about the aftermath of the crime as it plays out among people who weren’t there but must deal with it.

As any parent of teenagers can tell you, their child’s life is riddled with enigmas. In many ways, raising a teen is like reading a mystery story. What should we believe? Which clues are potentially serious? What is your child saying behind the closed doors of chats and texts? What are they doing when they are out of sight? Given this dynamic, I thought it would be interesting to put the reader in the position of the bemused parent instead of the kids who actually know what happened.

Most of your fiction has been set in the suburbs. What keeps drawing you back to the suburbs again and again?

The divide between the seemingly serene facade of the suburbs and their often dark, dangerous interiors provides rich dramatic ground for me. For many people, life is a quest for security, for normality and predictability. I believe the American suburbs might be the greatest expression of those desires. Cities are chaotic, the countryside is lonely, but the suburbs, with their freshly cut lawns and three-car garages, offer a promise of safety and community. Which is why when things go wrong there, when hidden secrets and passions and crimes emerge, it can seem all the more powerful.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Celadon Books (January 17, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250844231
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250844231
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.05 x 9.5 inches