People Like That: A Novel

At twenty‑six, she finally has the freedom to choose where she lives, and she has taken it to an unexpected corner of the city: Scarborough Square. The neighborhood, a collection of modest homes surrounding a neglected little park, is far from the fashionable avenues her acquaintances expect, yet she feels a warm sense of ownership over the old‑fashioned house she now calls her own. Her decision provokes bewildered criticism from friends and relatives who cannot fathom why she would abandon more respectable surroundings for such obscurity.

The square itself is a study in quiet decay, its straggly trees and dusty grass offering a contrast to the polished parks of uptown, and the narrator finds a strange comfort in its simplicity. With the help of her loyal, talkative neighbor Mrs. Mundy, she begins to map the rhythms of daily life, savoring the liberty of arranging her own schedule without the weight of societal expectations. As she settles into this modest world, the story hints at the subtle challenges and connections that will shape her newfound independence.