The premise is interesting and it’s the sort of domestic drama I often find compelling. ‘Misplaced Persons’ focuses on Neil, a British man, living in Brussels with his wife, Marcy, an American, and their three children: Sasha, Alec and Jake. Neil is having an affair with Chloe, a colleague, and as the middle-class family’s life unravels, so does the world around them.

Beale’s novel is timely. It’s set in 2016, before the reign of Trump. On a romantic weekend trip to Paris, Neil and Chloe witness the horrific terrorist attacks - and on their return to Brussels, they are part of the city lockdown when the perpetrators are traced back to Belgium. It seems that Beale is intent on including as many topical issues as possible, so much so that Marcy brings home a Syrian refugee, Nizar, who ends up being a suspect in terrorist activity (which seems cliche - but actually, all is not what it seems, particularly towards the end when readers learn that Nizar is gay and living with Tahrir, his boyfriend).

I wanted to really like this novel but found it hard. The writing is okay but none of the characters struck a chord with me - well, apart from Marcy’s mother who flies in, unexpectedly, from the Midwest towards the novel’s finish - her character comes alive and adds some spark. Parts of the story are surplus to requirements - the description of the journey to England, for example. And after Neil takes a tumble on a Christmas walk, nothing more is said about it. For me, there are dead-ends and skipped sections which makes the book’s structure clunky in places, not to mention cliches (‘throwing out heat like a sauna’ and the ‘shifting gears both literally and metaphorically’) - it’s hard to pin down but there are some sections here that are not well-written, the sort of thing one would scratch out from a first draft.

One thing that is perhaps petty is the reference to Neil’s year at school - it mentions ‘Year 11’ but given his age, I don’t think this is accurate. It’s minor, yes, but it grates, as do some other parts of the story.

At the end, after the accusations and drama, things to come together and there’s some chance of Neil and Marcy’s relationship being saved - abs the writing quality is better. But having got to the denouement, I find it hard to care, which is a shame. Maybe ‘Misplaced Persons’ will resonate more positively with other readers - I hope so.

Misplaced Persons is about a family in crisis. Dad Neil has left the marital home after 22 years of marriage, feeling as if he is entitled to more. At some point Neil says that he didn't sign up for that, even though that is exactly what marriage is. Neil, predictably, is having an affair with a younger woman. A woman who works for him. He spends too much money on expensive shirts and has a fast car. Neil thinks his affair is 'the real thing' and has no idea how pitiful he seems. Mum Marcy has also gone a bit crazy. She has given most of their possessions away and brought a young man home from the refugee centre. Marcy is so preoccupation with the new member of the family that she hasn't noticed how badly her kids are affected. Neil isn't thinking about the kids at all, just about how many times he can have sex with his young mistress. It is noteworthy that the story is set in Belgium, a country of many languages. Belgium has been invaded and disrupted more than most countries and the setting feels a little on the nose. The introduction of the war on terror is jarring and its' use to explore how misunderstandings come about felt wrong.

This is the same old story of midlife crisis splitting a family apart, an errant husband and the usual sacrificial wife. An angry teenage son and two other children fitting the usual pattern. That said, the family is British/American and the setting is a Europe in the throws of terrorist threats, Belgium to be exact. The action switches between the main characters, and kept my interest with their experiences both predictable and not. I particularly liked the everyday life of a foreigner living abroad, their interactions with locals and work colleagues.
The background of immanent terrorist attacks, and the arrival of a young refugee to the house, add a frisson of danger and the unknown to their already fragile lives.
The writing is accomplished, and although the material could have fallen short of interesting, it manages to hold together very well. I can imaging it being made into a very reasonable film for television.

Neil and Marcy have separated. Neil is ok, he has his lover to comfort him but Marcy and his children are falling to pieces. On a whim, Marcy takes in a Syrian refugee, a teenager. Neil is furious and Marcy's teenage son, Alec is resentful. When Alec takes part in an act of vandalism it has wide-ranging repercussions for them all.

I really enjoyed this book. It is character driven and quite slow but the characters are realistic and the pace suited me just fine. I lived in Brussels for five years and the author has depicted the city beautifully. I recognised so much. Not just landmarks and areas (though I lived near to where the novel was set so there was plenty to recognise) but also attitudes. I lived there at the time of the terrorist attacks and that was particularly poignant to remember that day and its aftermath.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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.