No family is perfect, no matter how they appear, and a picket fence can conceal more about what goes on inside a home than it reveals. This premise forms the basis for Susan Meissner’s latest novel, White Picket Fences, in which we meet Neil and Amanda Janvier, a couple who seems to have it all – a beautiful home, fulfilling jobs, two great kids. Not until Amanda’s niece Tally comes to stay does the weave begin to unravel as she and Chase, the Janvier’s seventeen-year-old son, partner together on a school sociology project. As they interview two Holocaust survivors at an assisted living facility, the men’s recollections fuel Chase’s growing interest – and increasingly disturbing memories – of a long-ago house fire. Chase’s quest to understand the truth of the tragedy threatens the very fabric of his family, who must answer for themselves a question: is it better to let the unpleasantness of the past stay in the past – or face it head-on, and deal with the consequences?

This novel showcases Meissner’s smooth prose, which is, as usual, flawless. But beyond that, I found the characters lacking depth, their dialogue banal, and their problems over-hyped. I felt, in fact, as if I were watching a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie: a pleasant story, but without deep roots to resonate with my soul. Even the inclusion of the Holocaust-survivor subplot seemed an attempt to beef up a thin tale.

I admire Susan Meissner’s clear style and her inspirational stories that appeal to both mainstream and Christian readers. When I picked up White Picket Fences, I hoped it would measure up to A Seahorse in the Thames, my favorite of her novels – but in this I was disappointed.