The Couple Next Door presents Shari Lapena’s attempt at critiquing certain vices that exist in the society in which the novel is set. The story begins with Anne and Marco enjoying themselves at Graham's birthday party. In The Couple Next Door, the novel-write tackles the aspect of irresponsible parenting through the characters of both Marco and Anne, who embody the trait. After Cynthia invites the couple to the party that she organized for her husband, Graham, she makes it clear that babies are not welcome. Anne and Marco thus decide to leave their six-month-old daughter Cora in the house alone, the babysitter having canceled. Additionally, Anne indulges herself in taking wine and becomes intoxicated even though she was a nursing mother. The author uses the irresponsible and negligent nature of Marco and his wife Anne as a background for critiquing irresponsible parenthood that the couple epitomizes.
Moreover, Shari Lapena also tackles the issue of trust or lack thereof in marriages. Notably, the concept of deceit and hypocrisy. In the novel, after Cora is kidnapped, Anne’s matrimony is put to the test. Not only does Anne begin to suspect an affair between her husband Marco and Cynthia, but she also blames him for being the cause of the abduction of her daughter. Deceit later presents itself when the reader is brought to the attention that Marco and Richard were involved in the kidnapping. Additionally, Richard epitomizes hypocrisy on top of fraud when he pretends not to know any other individuals in the kidnapping case of his step-daughter’s child.
Shari Lapena establishes a delicate background for critiquing marriages that are based on lies and lack of trust. Additionally, crime is also evident, beginning with the kidnap of Anne’s baby and the subsequent murder of Derek by Richard. Richard, governed by his greed and interest in acquiring material wealth, drives him to not only facilitate the kidnapping of her step-daughter’s child but also compels him to kill Derek, his partner in crime. Throughout the novel, Shari Lapena uses characters who symbolize certain vices in the society that she does not approve of.
