The Fence

**"Not a word is wasted. Jaffé's humour is sly and unerringly finds its mark." *Country Style*

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*"I promise you one thing, young lady. Building a fence is not going to keep the world out and won't keep your children in. Life's not that simple."*

Gwen Hill adores Green Valley Avenue. Here she has built friendships, raised her children and nurtured a thriving garden. So when the house next door is sold, Gwen wonders how the new family will settle into this cosy community.

Francesca Desmarchelliers has high hopes for the house on Green Valley Avenue. More than a new home, it's a clean slate for Frankie, who has moved her brood in a bid to save her marriage.

To maintain her privacy and corral her wandering children, Frankie proposes a fence between the properties, destroying Gwen's picture-perfect front yard.

To Gwen, this is an act of war.

Soon the neighbours are in an escalating battle about more than just council approvals, where boundaries aren't the only things at stake.

**MORE PRAISE FOR *THE FENCE***

"Meredith Jaffe's wicked sense of humor blooms in the fertile compost of domestic discord. ... A mischievous treat for anyone who has ever had tricky neighbours. A welcome new talent. " Caroline Baum, Editorial Director, Booktopia

"A keenly observed satire on the boundaries we set. Good fences make good neighbours. Or do they?" Wendy Harmer

"reminiscent of the fiction of Liane Moriarty ... an engaging and satirical novel about the struggle of whether to preserve the past or look to the future." *Bookseller+Publisher*