At a Glance
- Christine Gunderson’s next novel, Behind White Picket Fences, arrives June 9
- The story follows three mothers who opt out of competitive parenting and uncover a 60-year-old diary
- Why it matters: The book promises suspense and social commentary for readers who loved Big Little Lies
Christine Gunderson is back with a new tale that blends suburban suspense and the pressures of modern motherhood. Ethan R. Coleman reported for News Of Los Angeles that the author’s sophomore novel, Behind White Picket Fences, is now available for preorder and will publish June 9.
A Dual-Timeline Mystery
The novel alternates between the 1960s and the present day. Kiersten Cleaver, overwhelmed by travel sports, homework battles and her son’s dyslexia, teams up with neighbors Rosamund and Piper. Together they decide to “drop out of the scholastic rat race for one year” and found the Beaverbrook Academy for Inquiring Minds in Kiersten’s kitchen.
Their throwback experiment-“when phones were attached to the wall and kids played outside until the streetlights came on”-takes a dark turn after they discover a decades-old diary hidden in Kiersten’s basement. The journal raises “unsettling questions” about their seemingly safe neighborhood and the past it idealizes.
Friendship, Risk and Revelation
According to the book’s synopsis, the women’s “picture-perfect suburb disguises deadly secrets” and “someone wants to keep them hidden.” As strange events mount, the friends must choose whether to protect their newfound community or expose the truth.
The official description positions the story as “an homage to female friendship” that explores “the hamster wheel of modern motherhood, and the consequences for jumping off.” Early buzz compares the novel to Big Little Lies and Lessons in Chemistry.
From Debut to Follow-Up
Behind White Picket Fences continues Gunderson’s focus on mothers, friendship and the secrets that linger in small towns. Her 2024 debut, Friends with Secrets, mined similar territory, establishing her as a writer who pairs page-turning plots with sharp social observation.
Readers can preorder the book now wherever books are sold. News Of Los Angeles shared an exclusive first look at the cover ahead of the June 9 release.
