Neighbourly Mischief

Cristina Mîrzoi

About the book

In an old apartment building, a peculiar cast of residents goes about their carefully guarded lives, angsty youth, middle-aged couples, senior citizens, each concealing their own sorrows, insecurities and secrets behind closed doors.

When an outsider intrudes on a serene night, the building's fragile equilibrium is shattered. Lives collide, wounds surface, and some, against all odds, begin to mend.

A darkly comic portrait of loneliness and the strange intimacy of people who share walls but not much else.

Reviews

A masterful blend of dark humor and poignant observation. The disappearance of the much hated building administrator becomes the catalyst for a series of events that are as absurd as they are revealing, exposing the quirks and hidden depths of each character.

Armed with a Book

The narrative works as a sort of revolving door, dropping us in and out of certain apartments and perspectives. So much fun because there is the added element of the apparent rat problem, which I was not even sure was real for the longest time.

Happy Goat Horror

Nobody is perfect or irredeemable. Terrible folks can be generous, and even the sweetest person might still be harbouring a dark secret or two. Neighbourly Mischief was a genuine exploration of what it means to be a good — or a not-so-good — person.

Long and Short Reviews

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Readers on Goodreads

Had me reading all evening with laugh out loud moments, plenty of surprises and heartfelt emotional moments. It cleverly has something to say about how people can live in close proximity and yet feel incredible isolation and loneliness.

Goodreads Reader

Like looking into a dollhouse, viewing all of the residents lives individually and how they integrated with one another. Cristina Mirzoi shows off her skills shuffling between varying characters and giving them all such depth in a relatively short amount of time.

Goodreads Reader

A gray, tragi-comic, postmodernist collage — a grotesquery illuminated here and there by sparks of gentleness and altruism. I will definitely read more books by this insightful author!

Goodreads Reader

Delightfully quirky, and a quick read. In addition to the strong character development, the plot was engaging and fun to follow. Overall, a great read.

Goodreads Reader

Elements of dark humour and some oddball characters. It gave off vibes of Only Murders in the Building.

Goodreads Reader

The writing is sharp and witty, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. I am just discovering my weird girl litfic era and I would definitely read more by this author.

Goodreads Reader

Humorous in a dark way, held my interest, and the characters were a real highlight. The numerous solid personalities were done so well and gave the setting an authentic feel.

Goodreads Reader

The book is intriguing and it has alternating perspectives. Author has done a deep characters analysis and taken us in the lives of each of them. There are distinct individuals living in an old apartment building. They share their stories and unfavourable aspects of life. The characters go through myriad of emotions and unthinkable happens in the book. I particularly like the author's writing style.

Goodreads Reader

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Interviews & Video

Interview · Reading Nook Author Interview: Neighbourly Mischief

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Interview & Excerpt · Armed with a Book Neighbourly Mischief — Book Excerpt & Interview

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Video · YouTube Neighbourly Mischief — Video Review