Synopsis
THE STUNNING NEW SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BETRAYALS AND THE GOOD GIRL
'No one writes about modern family with more truth or authenticity than Fiona Neill' LISA JEWELL
'A stunning, almost hypnotic read that pulls you under. Completely engrossing' Reader Review *****
Everyone is talking about Grace's family.
But for all the wrong reasons . . .
Grace wanted to give her daughters the childhood she never had. And with teenage golden girl Lilly she's never had to worry.
But when Lilly mysteriously collapses at school, Grace's carefully ordered world crashes down. It turns out Lilly isn't the perfect daughter after all and Grace becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth.
Which is when she takes her eyes off her youngest daughter, Mia and learns that the closer the family, the darker the secrets . . .
Beneath the Surface explores the weight of the past upon the present, the burden of keeping secrets and what happens when children get caught in the undercurrents of adult relationships.
'A rich, dark and satisfying read about the complexities of modern family life. I adored it' JANE FALLON
'I can't wait to see what Fhiona Neill will deliver next!' Reader Review *****
'Neill describes human dysfunction with such compelling empathy . . . richly tense and deeply satisfying. I didn't want to finish!' HILARY BOYD
'Riveting, heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting' Reader Review *****
'Well-paced and intriguing' DAILY MAIL
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9781405935975
- Number of pages: 400
- Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 24 mm
- Weight: 278g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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Gloomy and compelling
A slow burn of a novel but no less compelling for that. The characters- especially weird Mia - are well drawn, (mostly) likeable and utterly believable. Th... READ MORE
Well written but found the ending disappointing.
Well written but found the ending disappointing.
Patrick and Grace Vermuyden have two daughters, Lilly who is 17 and a top student hoping to get into Oxbr... READ MORE
Engrossing!
I was sent a proof copy of Beneath the Surface by Fiona Neill to read and review by NetGalley.
I absolutely love this book! Beautifully written and totall... READ MORE
Keeps you guessing
A dark family drama story.
They initially appear to be quite a normal family.
Then lily has a seizure.
There are debts and secrets.
Keeps you guessing wha... READ MORE
Family life in all it’s madness
Family life in all it’s madness, complexity and the things that aren’t talked about. We all underestimate the ways in which our own childhood can affect ou... READ MORE
Intriguing
Very interesting story with twists and turns at every stage. I thought I had worked out the plot but how wrong I was! Very engaging characters which drew y... READ MORE
relationships, poignant, secrets,love,hope
Grace Vermuyden has two daughters Lily and Mia. Grace is determined that they will have a better life than she has had.and when Lily collapses she is deter... READ MORE
Quirky and original
I enjoyed this book and found it quirky and original. I liked the main female characters, particularly Mia, who was a joy. The male characters were less sy... READ MORE
A compelling read
A thriller set in the Norfolk fens – the geographical features of dampness, mist and water providing plenty of atmosphere and adding to the drama of the st... READ MORE
Disappointing
This is the first Fiona Neill book I have read and, while it was an interesting look at a dysfunctional family, I didn't really feel I knew the characters ... READ MORE
A familys destructive secrets
A family’s destructive secrets
All families have secrets, but it’s highly likely that not all families have secrets that are quite as huge as those that th... READ MORE
Fiona Neill – Beneath the Surface
One second, Lilly Vermuyden is sitting in her English class, the next she is lying on the floor convulsing uncontrollably. What’s wrong with the 17-year-ol... READ MORE
Beneath the Surface
I'm a real fan of Fiona Neil's books. I loved The Betrayals which was her last book and the first of hers that I read and I subsequently went on to read al... READ MORE
Thought-provoking, fantastic writing.
It took me a while to feel really absorbed in this book but once that happened I absolutely loved it.
Essentially, this is a story of a family that is fal... READ MORE
'Human beings are nothing more than layers and layers of secrets...'
This novel is about a family who, due to financial difficulties, move to a new development on the outskirts of Cambridge. Due to a traumatic upbringing, wh... READ MORE
An excellent read
Another excellent book by Fiona Neill. Grace Vermuyden wants her daughters to have the very best start in life, with the close and supportive family bonds... READ MORE
Dark and gripping
This was a wee bit different to my usual reading material. I spent the majority of the book wondering where exactly we were headed and it turned out to be ... READ MORE
A worthwhile read
I loved Fiona's previous book The Betrayals so was delighted to be approved for this new novel Beneath the Surface.
Another tale of a dysfunctional family ... READ MORE
Beneath the surface of what this plot is about there's an undercurrent of how the secrets of the past may already have your life mapped out for you...
A rather long-winded review! lol
Beneath The Surface by Fiona Neill is about family with so many secrets, you never quite know what is going to pop up to h... READ MORE
Suspenseful story with an underlying layer of menace. You are constantly waiting for something bad to happen.
A complex and insightful exploration of the modern family.
Grace, Patrick, Lilly and Mia are on the surface an ideal, nuclear family. As the story progres... READ MORE
Mixed feelings about this.
Grace had a chaotic childhood, so when she got married to Patrick she was determined to be the best mother. She has two daughters. Bright, pretty Lily is a... READ MORE
5 Star Read!
'Beneath The Surface' has so many rich layers to it that it is difficult to know where to start. It's a literary exploration of the lives of a family-2 bro... READ MORE
Secrets and Lies
Secrets and lies are indeed buried beneath the surface of the Vermuyden family life. Personally, I was annoyed by the almost paranoid Grace who seems to ... READ MORE
Something completely different
ARC from @MichaelJBooks via #NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed
This is the kind of thriller I enjoyed the most, great characters, plenty of intrigue and ... READ MORE
An excellent read
Riveting, heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting, this is a sensitive exploration of the lives of husband and wife, Patrick and Grace and their daughters,... READ MORE
Good read
Beneath the Surface is a story about a Family with hidden secrets and lies ,set in he Fens which is beautifully described.I felt the story was a bit of a s... READ MORE
A family hiding secrets; A mothers desperate attempt to retain the illusion of the perfect family
My Recommendation
Beneath The Surface
Parents with two children all living , to outward appearances , as one happy family whist each one exists unde... READ MORE
Mad family, spooky plot, great read!
If you like books about dysfunctional families and damaged people then this book is for you! It’s also about damaged landscapes and the consequences of mes... READ MORE
Wow!! A must read!!
I have given Fiona Neill's new book FIVE STARS!!!
I loved this......every single word!!!
This is the second book I have read by Fiona Neill, having read ... READ MORE
Compulsive reading
This novel grabbed me and didn’t let me go until I’d finished. A story of a family, told from varying viewpoints, which effectively helped the reader to un... READ MORE
A compelling and topical story
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 outward... READ MORE
Gripping
A gripping book about the relationship s between mothers and daughters. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this was to read and read it over a few even... READ MORE
An emotionally charged family drama
I loved Fiona Neill’s novel The Betrayals, so I had high expectations for Beneath the Surface, another family drama. It’s set in the Fens, where Patrick an... READ MORE
Gripping and enjoyable read
In this book we meet the Vermuyden family: Grace and Patrick and their two daughters, Lilly and Mia. Grace has had a troubled childhood and has carefully ... READ MORE
Built on layers of simmering tension
Beneath the Surface is a family drama built on layers of simmering tension.
The Vermuydens are a family of four. Mother Grace, a perfectionist who wants ... READ MORE
A Beautifully Written Family Drama
The tale of a dysfunctional family, Patrick and Grace, and their two daughters, Lilly and Grace, and the secrets they are all harbouring. I loved a lot ab... READ MORE
Not for me
I kinda had high expectations for this. The reviews are all over the place and I wondered what side I’d be on.
What a great concept for a book, unfortunat... READ MORE
A great read!
This book is a completely different genre to the other Fiona Neill book I’ve read, so it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.
Grace had a very haphazard upb... READ MORE
A Good Read
So pleased to have had the opportunity to read 'Beneath the Surface' by Fiona Neill. This is the second book that i have read by this author, having previ... READ MORE
Secrets lie “Beneath the Surface”
The title “Beneath the Surface” definitely has a double meaning. The plot revolves around the Vermuyden family who live close to the fens in Cambridge and ... READ MORE