Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Beneath the Surface by Fiona Neill




I just finished reading this compelling, original story and was blown away by it.  Set in the fen land around Cambridge, it features a family which outwardly seems cohesive and strong, but who knows what goes on beneath the surface?  Grace married Patrick in the hope of love, security and a happy family.  Many of us do this, but who knows Grace's motivation, and how her own upbringing will shape her adult life?  Is Patrick as safe and sensible as he seems?  Their two daughters, Lilly (17) and Mia (9) are intriguing characters.  Lilly is very intelligent, popular, beautiful and stylish, while Mia is a creative and curious soul who struggles to write out her ideas but gives her all when subjects catch her imagination.  Everyone has their secrets, and struggles to keep them shut into their boxes but the pressure increases.  When Lilly is taken ill in class at school, is she grievously sick, the first victim of an epidemic or is something else at play?  Can the lid be kept down on what lies beneath the surface?  What is the truth and can they survive?  An intriguing, intelligent and topical book which rewards the reader and would be an excellent book group choice, it really deserves to be widely read.

1 comment:

Carla Kellina said...

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