199: When No One Is Watching

Synopsis

The gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning…

Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she’s known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community’s past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block—her neighbor Theo.

But Sydney and Theo’s deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised.

When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other—or themselves—long enough to find out before they too disappear?

Introduction

I did not plan on finishing this  because I read a bit of the prologue and felt the message was heavy (that is the opposite of what I like as a reader, I like subtleness because it forces the reader to think and assess). So for Christmas someone surprisingly bought it for me which I think was a good thing actually because I do not think I fully read the prologue or first chapter. Also, I think with some of the conversations happening around the book I got to sit with them for the entire book. 

The Good

There are many points when I really enjoyed the Black history moments. 

Seeing different things happening through the various point of view characters was interesting.

The Bad

I. I do not like the Black voice they give characters now it feels so try hardy –for a lack of better way to describe it.

II. The racial conversations were so heavy handed and forced most of the time. 

III. Moments felt like they happened so the character((s) could have their reaction moment to whiteness. 

Theo= good white

 Kim= bad white

IV. It is not a good thriller. 

Thrilling moments do not land- it is not thrilling neither suspenseful. 

A. To be a good psychological thriller you have to be subtle. The message is so obvious and the reacting to whiteness voice is so loud it is drowning out the thrills.

B. The direction of the story was so obvious (admittedly I think I got maybe vaguely spoiled a bit following some of the conversations around this).

C. The situations that are meant to be suspenseful are rushed through quickly. Is there enough building up to the moments? There is definitely not enough lingering in the moments. 

D. It is close to reality so there is a lack of thrill because this really happens/is happening. 

Is this book for white people? A. Some of the conversations are so water is wet that it can feel like they only exist for the white gaze.

B. Then again I do not know because way too many non-Black people got mad and renounced this book which is wild because so much of the contents is again water is wet.  

Recommendations

Both are young adult contemporaries  so may seem the opposite of When No One Who Is Watching which is adult thriller but  all of them are about gentrification. It is good to read other books about gentrification.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi 

This Side of Home by Renee Watson

200: We Thought We Knew You: A Terrifying True Story of Secrets, Betrayal, Deception, and Murder

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author, television personality, and host of the #1 podcast “Paper Ghosts,” M. William Phelps is one of America’s most celebrated true crime authorities. In WE THOUGHT WE KNEW YOU, he takes readers deep into the murder of Mary Yoder, a popular wife, mother, and healer in Upstate New York — telling a gripping tale of a family drama, a determined investigation, and a killer with the face of an angel.

In July 2015, Mary Yoder returned home from the chiropractic center that she operated with her husband, Bill, complaining that she felt unwell. Mary, health-conscious and vibrant, was suddenly vomiting, sweating, and weak. Doctors in the ER and ICU were baffled as to the cause of her rapidly progressing illness. Her loved ones–including Bill and their children, Adam, Tamryn, and Liana–gathered in shock to say goodbye.

In the weeks that followed Mary’s death, the grief-stricken family received startling news from the medical examiner: Mary had been deliberately poisoned. The lethal substance was colchicine, a chemical used to treat gout but extremely toxic if not taken as prescribed. Mary did not have gout. Another bombshell followed when the local sheriff’s office received a claim that Adam Yoder had poisoned his mother. But Adam was not the only person of interest in the case.

Pretty and popular Kaitlyn Conley, Adam’s ex-girlfriend, worked at the Yoders’ clinic. She’d even been at Mary’s bedside during those last terrible hours. Still, some spoke of her talent for manipulation and a history of bizarre, rage-fueled behavior against anyone who dared to reject her.

Had Kaitlyn and Adam conspired to kill Mary Yoder, or was the killer someone else entirely?

In another twist, accusations were hurled at Bill Yoder himself, ricocheting blame in still another direction…

Renowned investigative journalist M. William Phelps details this incredible story piece by piece, revealing a heartless plan of revenge–a scheme that would tear a family apart, divide a community, and result in two gripping, high-profile trials.

The Good

~ Shows flaws in the court of public opinion &  how crime media has shaped how we view nonfictional crime

A. Not accepting an open and shut case –>  diving into conspiracy theories  and basicaly forcing simple cases to be more complicated than they actually are.

B. there are biases inherent in our society that can shape opinion which can be messy when perception/opinion becomes more important than facts.

There are (women) who prey on being seen as inherently innocent to excuse/manipulate a situation. This using perception of oneself that is usually a negative to benefit reminds me of these two books I read=

 Little Demon in the City of Light: A True Story of Murder and Mesmerism in Belle Epoque Paris

Mini-Reviews: Please Look After The Disembodied Devotion of A Star-Touched Queen

C. Has crime tv made it so that the motive is more important than the evidence?

~A good job was done laying out the facts of the case so you as a regular person can understand things. It was really easy to read.

The Bad

-Was the writing lacking a bit in terms of that true crime spark?  Is that because it did not delve into Katie life thus feeling incomplete narrativewise?

-Repetitive in places.

-The epilogue got very into this internet age never goes outside and smells the roses. It got weird.

The Meh 

This is not the authors fault but I would have liked to hear more from the Katie camp especially from the family who believed Bill and/or Adam did it. What in the families past made them think either man did it?

Katie family history or just her history as a person.  I would have liked to gotten a more rounded view of the case because it was a bit biased (then again with the evidence and Katie camp not talking…)

I received this from Kensington Publishing Corp. through bookishfirst

(image and synopsis  are from goodreads)