Are You Sitting Comfortably? June with Jennifer Trevelyan
You know how Rebecca and I love a good twisting tale and this month’s book really grabbed us with its tension and suspense. If you’re a fan of Jenny Godfrey’s The List of Suspicious Things (Jenny is of course an AYSC alumni) and books like The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller and Kate Kemp’s The Grapevine which have also featured on our list of recommendations, then you’ll love Are You Sitting Comfortably’s June book pick – the debut novel from Jennifer Trevelyan – A Beautiful Family.
Think family secrets and one long hot summer on the New Zealand coast, told through the eyes of ten-year-old Alix. It feels like a coming age story crossed with a thriller as Alix becomes increasingly drawn into a web of mysteries she is determined to solve and the reader steps into a world of family dynamics, teen mags and Walkmans and the promise of adventure.
In the past, we had always spent our summer holidays in remote places. That had always been my mother’s preference. This year was different . . .
As the long summer holiday stretches ahead, ten-year-old Alix wants to spend every second on the beach and in the water. But, with her parents unusually distracted and her older sister now more interested in boys, she finds herself alone.
Then she meets Kahu at the beach and he tells her about The Mystery. Two years ago, a girl went missing and none of the adults could find her. So, the new friends decide to investigate – because people don’t just disappear.
But, as Alex and Kahu search for clues, they stumble upon secrets they wish they’d left alone. Is Alix’s holiday house as safe as it seems? And is her sister putting her trust in the wrong people?
A Beautiful Family is dark, brooding and full of nostalgia – it’s the perfect page turner that’s atmospheric, tense and sticky like a hot summer. We can’t wait for you to join us as we chat to Jennifer about her fab debut novel live from New Zealand on Wednesday 18th June at 10am.
