Love Thy Neighbor (Or Maybe Don’t) by Ethan Lam

Depending on the individual, the words we use to describe our interactions with our neighbors vary drastically: some might say “polite,” others might prefer “tolerable” (or perhaps something more blunt). At Split Lip Magazine, we seem to be very interested in the neighbor dynamic, as we have published quite a few pieces about neighbors over the years. This month’s memoir by Mary Liza Hartong returns us to the topic yet again. We are, in particular, fascinated by works that consider how these relationships can be unexpectedly deep or quite tenuous. What does it mean when a character is welcomed into a neighbor’s home? What brings neighbors together, and what are the sources of tension and discord? The following pieces from our archives might inspire some answers to these questions.

We begin with Priyanka Champaneri’s fiction “Good Neighbor,” whose title gives you a sense of what the neighbor is like. Habiba is the nagging but also concerned neighbor of the narrator; their relationship is something like that of a daughter and a mother. Habiba proves to be very protective of her, yet isn’t afraid to reprimand her, as most mothers are. It is a fascinating, nuanced story about the lines neighbors cross and how those lines can move over time.

Next, in “Nowhere Else But Here,” Tony Payne gives us an interesting dynamic between two neighbors in a Texas town. A blown transformer during a heatwave leads to an unexpected encounter. How the neighbors bridge the gap between them shows how they have begun to trust one another. Payne does something interesting with space in his story. Perhaps sweltering heat is just what’s needed to get neighbors to socialize.   

Following this common thread, Mary Liza Hartong recalls in this month’s memoir, “Neighborly,” an interaction with her neighbor on an exceptionally hot day. They live in the same condominium, and the two strike up a conversation as the narrator hauls her trash outside. She is pregnant, and as her neighbor helps her carry the trash bag, she realizes how they are at different stages of life. “Intergenerational” feels like the best way to describe the connection between these neighbors. This small moment between them takes on deeper significance.

On the other hand, not every neighbor is as agreeable. The drama in Nick Mandernach’s story “Where the Coyotes Were Coming From” stems from coyote sightings in their neighborhood and the effort to keep them away. The narrator finds himself at odds with his neighbor, Carter, who lives at the end of the block and has been feeding the coyotes. Carter is treated like a pariah by the rest of the neighbors, and tension builds throughout the story. The ending isn’t what you would expect.

The sole flash fiction on the list, Elizabeth Erbeznik’s “Sprachstudium (Language Studies),” is mainly about a couple growing apart. But Erbeznik uses the couple’s mirthful neighbors to contrast with the listlessness and tension that characterize the couple’s own relationship. We learn a lot about this couple through their juxtaposition with their neighbors.   

Compared to the previous pieces, this last one has a slightly different vibe. “Beacon St., February 19th,” a memoir by Afri Arebu, is about friends having dinner together. It is a tight-knit relationship; they are more like good neighbors or even family. The narrator’s effervescent voice drives this piece about affection and companionship. As her friend Shahrazad says, “life is good.”

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Ethan Lam is an undergraduate currently pursuing English at the University of California, Berkeley. He works as an intern for Split Lip and writes short stories and poetry in his spare time. Beyond writing, he is a calisthenics athlete.