The world in which young Elaine grows up is a naturally tough environment where family grief is an unfortunate but regular occurrence - the loss of her favourite brother Oscar being the hardest to come to terms with. But her family is a fine unit, provided for and protected by her hard-working father and her wise and warm mother.However, Elaine's and her siblings' lives are dominated by the unreasonable, and sometimes outrageous, behaviour of their busybody neighbour, Mrs Ellen Hobbs, whose favourite pastime is spying and commenting on neighbourhood events.the woman next door is a poignant tale of a family's bonding in the face of distress and interference.
