Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to. I found the premise interesting, and I thought the Brussels setting was unusual. I also liked that the book recounted specific events in recent history. 

However I didn't find the characters very engaging and I struggled with the novel overall.

This book follows the lives Marcy and Neil and their 3 children and the aftermath of them taking in a Syrian refugee. It shows the ups and downs that all families face and refers to many real life events making it seem more real. Whilst I did like the characters, I did find it hard to engage with the story and often found myself forcing myself to carry on. I never like to do that with a book and it automatically made me not like it. This is not to say it’s not a good book, it’s just not for me.
However I would recommend this book to anyone who likes this genre and Post-War books.

Interesting look at the idea of belonging, family and where we call home.
Lots of real events referred to here which makes it ever more timely and sets the scene well
Brussels is a strange city in many ways - many people work and live there for only a short space of time due to their jobs in the diplomatic field. This is part of the story and makes you look at a city you might only know via the EU and NATO.
The way of using all this to look at a human crisis and our reaction to refugees is interesting but all in all, it just didn't capture my imagination and  it isn't very memorable.

This book is a timely reminder of how one selfish act can impact on a family.
The story is set in Belgium with the potential of terrorism in the forefront of everyone’s mind . 

The book  describes the life of Marcy and Neil and their three children, we see the ups and downs of family life and how life changes when Neil leaves the family home.
I enjoyed the characters they are pleasant and genuine in their nature. The fractured family life takes its toll on all members of the family but  the story is mostly from the perspective of Marcy , Neil and Alec.

The writing is free flowing and easy to read and digest . An intuitive story and an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for this arc copy.

I really enjoyed this and became very invested in all the characters and their differing relationships with each other. Set against real life events in Brussels, I felt I had to go back and do some research (which was not a bad thing) and I always find I enjoy stories which have a tangible anchor to real life events.

Date reviewed/posted: January 8, 2021
Publication date: March 4, 2021

When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end, you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us, AND the worst sciatica attack in your life means you MIGHT sleep 3 hours a night,  superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today.

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.


The Yardley family is fracturing.

Eighteen years since their move to Brussels and the future is clouded with uncertainty for Neil, a Brit, American Marcy and their three Belgian-born children. Wrapped up in their own worries, Neil and Marcy fail to see how much their middle child, Alec, is struggling. When Marcy offers shelter to a young Syrian refugee, it triggers an explosive train of events that affects every member of the family.

Against a backdrop of growing terror threats and Europe's worst refugee crisis since the Second World War, "Misplaced Persons" astutely explores miscues and misunderstandings, the strength of family bonds and the meaning of home.

This is a timely book, but I did not enjoy it. At all. I found it clunky and hard to read over and over again so I finally gave up. As a librarian, if I do not learn something new or get engaged in the characters, I make a decision: I did not truly read/finish the book (I skimmed through it) as there are too many good ones out there to read and review. That also applies to just being a lover of books --- if it isn't interesting, on to the next one!

I will recommend it to those who might enjoy its subject more than I did: I just found it never came to fruition in its promises of greatness/cover blurb from an award-winning author.

p.s. should it not be DISplaced Persons?