''A Gracious Neighbor'' is a 2022 novel by Chris Cander.
It is derived from the 1917 short story "
A Jury of Her Peers," written by
Susan Glaspell
Susan Keating Glaspell (July 1, 1876 – July 28, 1948) was an American playwright, novelist, journalist and actress. With her husband George Cram Cook, she founded the Provincetown Players, the first modern American theatre company.
First known ...
. Cander, who moved to
West University Place, Texas
West University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Centr ...
in 2005, reworked the story by moving it into a setting that she "was comfortable with."
The novel is set in West University Place and uses
crape myrtles as a symbol for what Cander calls "oppositional opinions".
''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' praised the work, including the
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
used, its "keen sense of place, and a feminist sensibility."
See also
* ''
The Weight of a Piano'' - A 2019 novel by Cander
References
External links
*
A Gracious Neighbor' - Chris Cander official website
* - Cander discusses the work in a portion of the recording
Recording file
2022 American novels
Novels set in Texas
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