Plays Well with Others by Lauren Myracle

Lauren Myracle’s foray into adult literary fiction marks a significant departure from her celebrated young adult works like the Internet Girls series and standalone novels such as Shine and The Infinite Moment of Us. In Plays Well with Others, Myracle crafts a psychological thriller that peels back the pristine veneer of suburban life to reveal the festering wounds beneath, creating a narrative that’s both unsettling and compulsively readable.

The story centers on Jacquelyn “Jake” Nolan, a woman whose life has imploded spectacularly. She’s lost her stillborn son Toby, watched her marriage crumble under the weight of her husband Adam’s infidelity with their mutual friend Shelby, and seen her reputation destroyed in a very public online scandal. Now residing in a modest bungalow in the Sweetwater neighborhood, Jake attempts to rebuild her shattered existence while grappling with the demons that have haunted her since childhood.

Character Study: Flawed Humanity at Its Core

Myracle’s greatest strength lies in her unflinching portrayal of damaged characters who resist easy categorization. Jake emerges as a deeply flawed protagonist whose actions throughout the novel challenge readers’ sympathies. Her obsessive surveillance of her ex-husband and his new partner, her manipulation of neighborhood conflicts through anonymous social media personas, and her increasingly erratic behavior paint a picture of someone teetering on the edge of complete psychological collapse.

The supporting cast enriches this psychological landscape considerably. Mabel, Jake’s effervescent neighbor who becomes her unlikely confidante, initially appears to be the antithesis of Jake’s darkness. However, Myracle gradually reveals Mabel’s own capacity for manipulation and revenge, particularly in her treatment of neighborhood nemesis Vanessa through the “WarriorMom” persona on the GoodNeighbors app. This duality makes Mabel a fascinating character study in her own right.

Billy, the ten-year-old boy living across the street with his volatile mother Vanessa, represents perhaps the most tragic figure in the novel. His attempts to connect with other children, particularly the disfigured newcomer Wendell, reveal both his essential kindness and the psychological damage inflicted by his abusive home environment. Myracle handles Billy’s character with particular sensitivity, avoiding the trap of making him either entirely innocent or irredeemably damaged.

Social Media as Modern Poison

One of the novel’s most prescient elements is its exploration of how social media amplifies and distorts suburban conflicts. The GoodNeighbors app serves as a perfect microcosm of contemporary online discourse, where petty grievances escalate into vicious public battles fought through anonymous accounts and carefully curated personas. Myracle captures the addictive nature of these digital confrontations, showing how characters like Jake and Mabel become consumed by their online feuds.

The backstory of Jake’s public downfall, revealed through a fictional news article about her ill-conceived Facebook post regarding Shelby’s affair with Adam, demonstrates how quickly private pain can become public spectacle in the digital age. The phrase “frozen peas on my breasts” becomes a viral symbol of Jake’s humiliation, showing how the internet strips away context and nuance to create devastating memes from human suffering.

The Playground as Battleground

Myracle’s decision to set much of the action around Sweetwater Elementary’s playground proves symbolically rich. The school represents both innocence and the competitive nature of parenting, where children become extensions of their parents’ egos and insecurities. The playground scenes, particularly those involving the developing friendship between Billy and Wendell, provide some of the novel’s most emotionally resonant moments.

The climactic playground disaster, where Billy’s attempt to rescue Wendell from a shed fire results in his own severe injuries, serves as both literal and metaphorical culmination of the adults’ failures. The incident strips away all pretense and forces every character to confront the consequences of their actions and inactions.

Writing Style: Accessible Darkness

Myracle’s prose maintains the accessibility that made her young adult novels so successful while tackling much darker material. Her ability to shift perspectives between multiple characters—Jake, Mabel, Billy, and Wendell—creates a kaleidoscopic view of suburban dysfunction. Each voice feels distinct and authentic, from Jake’s bitter self-loathing to Billy’s confused yearning for acceptance.

The author’s background in children’s literature serves her well when writing from the perspectives of Billy and Wendell. These sections avoid both condescension and artificial maturity, capturing the genuine voices of children navigating complex adult conflicts they don’t fully understand.

However, “Plays Well with Others” occasionally suffers from pacing issues, particularly in the middle sections where Jake’s obsessive behavior becomes repetitive. Some readers may find her continued surveillance of Adam and Shelby’s house tiresome rather than compelling, and the revelation of her break-ins feels somewhat anticlimactic given the buildup.

Thematic Depth and Social Commentary

The exploration of motherhood in “Plays Well with Others” proves particularly complex and troubling. Jake’s loss of her stillborn son Toby creates a wound that never heals, informing every interaction she has with other children. Her simultaneous protection of and cruelty toward Billy reflects this complicated relationship with motherhood. Vanessa’s abusive parenting style and Mabel’s sometimes manipulative relationship with her stepdaughter Bethany add additional layers to this examination.

The theme of redemption runs throughout the narrative, though Myracle refuses to offer easy answers. Jake’s final confrontation with Vanessa, where she drunkenly reveals the harsh truth about Billy’s social standing, represents a moral nadir that calls into question whether she’s capable of genuine growth. Yet her actions during the playground crisis suggest a capacity for heroism that complicates any simple moral judgment.

Critical Perspectives: Strengths and Shortcomings

Plays Well with Others succeeds admirably as a character study and social commentary, but it occasionally stumbles as a thriller. The suspense elements feel somewhat forced, and the revelation of Jake’s break-ins lacks the psychological complexity of the novel’s best moments. The book works better as a slow-burn exploration of suburban malaise than as a traditional page-turner.

The treatment of mental health issues in “Plays Well with Others” deserves praise for its nuanced approach. Rather than offering simple explanations for character behavior, Myracle shows how trauma, particularly childhood trauma, can manifest in complex and sometimes contradictory ways. Jake’s self-destructive patterns clearly stem from her abusive childhood, but the novel doesn’t excuse her actions because of this background.

Some critics might argue that the novel’s resolution feels somewhat rushed, with Billy’s heroic actions and subsequent hospitalization providing a convenient catalyst for other characters’ growth. However, this climax does serve to illuminate the different ways people respond to crisis, from Jake’s genuine heroism to Vanessa’s characteristic self-absorption.

Comparative Analysis: Finding Its Place

Plays Well with Others fits comfortably within the domestic thriller genre alongside works like Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects and Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies. Like these novels, it uses the facade of suburban normalcy to explore darker psychological territory. However, Myracle’s background in young adult fiction brings a unique perspective to the genre, particularly in her sensitive handling of child characters.

“Plays Well with Others” shares thematic DNA with earlier domestic thrillers such as Ira Levin’s The Stepford Wives in its critique of suburban conformity, but Myracle’s focus on social media and contemporary parenting anxieties makes it distinctly modern. Her exploration of online harassment and public shaming feels particularly relevant in our current cultural moment.

Final Verdict: A Worthy Evolution

Plays Well with Others represents a successful transition for Lauren Myracle from young adult to adult fiction. While not without its flaws, the novel offers a compelling exploration of damaged characters struggling to connect in an increasingly fragmented world. The suburban setting provides the perfect pressure cooker for these psychological conflicts, and Myracle’s skilled character development keeps readers engaged even when the plot occasionally lags.

The book’s unflinching examination of how childhood trauma shapes adult behavior, combined with its astute observations about social media culture and modern parenting, creates a thriller that resonates beyond its genre conventions. Though some may find Jake’s behavior frustrating or Billy’s situation too heartbreaking, these responses speak to Myracle’s success in creating complex, human characters who resist simple judgment.

For readers who enjoyed the author’s previous works, this novel demonstrates significant growth in both scope and ambition. For newcomers to Myracle’s writing, it serves as an excellent introduction to her ability to balance accessibility with emotional depth. While the thriller elements may not satisfy genre purists, the novel’s psychological insights and social commentary make it a worthwhile read for anyone interested in contemporary suburban fiction.

Similar Reads Worth Exploring

For fans of domestic thrillers with unreliable narrators:

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
• The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

For suburban psychological studies:

• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
• The Mothers by Brit Bennett

And for complex portrayals of motherhood and loss:

• My Education by Susan Choi
• The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Plays Well with Others confirms Lauren Myracle’s evolution as a writer capable of tackling adult themes with the same emotional intelligence that made her young adult novels so compelling. It’s a dark, thoughtful exploration of how we hurt and heal each other in the spaces we call home.