Krystelle Bamford’s eccentric novel grew out of one of her prose poems, in part harking back to her own childhood in Massachusetts. It’s an inventive, unsettling variation on a family saga, that’s mostly confined to the events of a single afternoon. A large, New England family gathers together at a house close to the one where they grew up. As the adults bicker and wrangle over events from their collective past, their children are left to their own devices. But first one, then another disappears into the nearby forest. An eerie, liminal space that suggests the possibility of some unnamed, cosmic evil – although this slightly gothic strand is by no means the dominant. Unable to attract the grown-ups’ attention, the remaining cousins venture in search of their lost. Their adventures, which read like a bizarre variation on a vintage children’s story, are interrupted by a series of intermezzos recounting the traumatic family history that looms over them and their parents. There’s an impression of a family fallen from grace, lost wealth, blighted expectations, which the children sense but can’t fully comprehend, although they clearly fear becoming their parents.

It's a difficult book to represent, sometimes it has a distinct Salinger vibe but Salinger crossed with a dense, speeded-up version of a Nancy Mitford saga. Sometimes it reminded me of a Wes Anderson movie - fortunately not so much I couldn’t get caught up in it, I’m not an Anderson fan - that odd blend of the surreal and the whimsical. The forest has an atmosphere of foreboding tinged with a slightly magical quality that leads the children to good things – a stash of free chocolate – but culminates in tragedy. And it’s soon obvious the forest is a metaphor – as fictional forests so frequently are – taking the children on a journey that involves loss of innocence, and a realisation of the precariousness of human and/or family ties. I liked the flashes of wry humour, the sudden digressions into descriptions of films or moments in history. And I appreciated the distinctiveness of Bamford’s approach to narrative, her precision, the interesting shifts between first person narrator and a kind of Greek chorus. But her style could also be a little too mannered for my taste.

i'm v close with my cousins so i love books that centre around cousin relationships, esp when it takes place at a family event, wrapped in nostalgia, and childhood politics. i kept picutring this taking place in a honey i shrunk the kids scenario where all the kids were fighting their way through grass, which isn't the case. it was fun! i lost it a bit near the end, esp the backstory of the older boy, but i enjoyed overall

Krystelle Bamford's shorter novel "Idle Grounds" recounts a story about a group of cousins who go on an unexpected journey after their cousin Abi disappears. Set in the late 80s in New England, the cousins find themselves together on a sunny day at a family member's home with the adults struggling to keep themselves composed at their family gathering. Emotions and tensions run high among the adults as one of the children goes missing.

I originally thought that this was going to be a bit more horrific, but the story focuses on childhood family relationships, especially among counsins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. It's about adventure at a time when adults weren't helicopter parents.

Although I finished this shorter work of fiction a few weeks ago, I haven't been able to write this review, and I think it's because there are so many things about this story that I loved: the setting, the kids' relationships (Bamford writes children so well!), and how Bamford created a sense of mystery at the beginning of the story. However, the mystery feels incomplete, the kids' stories become overshadowed by their grandmother's story, and the setting ends up feeling a bit too vast for such a short story.

If you love adventure stories; nostalgic stories set in the 70s, 80s, or 90s; and stories about children's relationships, then this could be for you!

Many thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Krystelle Bamford's newest novel "Idle Grounds" in exchange for an honest review.

Suspenseful, mysterious, nostalgic. Idle Grounds follows a group of cousins who search for the youngest amongst them who goes missing on their great grandmothers property. Tense and foreboding. Loved the writing style. Wish it went harder on the dark elements but overall really enjoyed it!

On a bright summer day in 1989 New England, Abi, three years old, vanishes from her aunt’s secluded home. Upstairs, her young cousins are looking out of the window. Something is unfolding in the distance at the edge of the forest – something sinister that is watching them back.

I found this book difficult to read. It seems to ramble like a stream of consciousness and I wasn’t gripped by the characters. Lots of information supplied is irrelevant and nothing to do with the story. Sorry but it’s not for me.

This is a very unusual book, and Im still not sure if I enjoyed it, understood it or missed a deeper meaning. The youngest of a group of cousins disappears during a family party, and, with the adults not interested, the rest of the group sets out to find her led by the eldest,a 12 year old boy. The story then unfolds through the eyes of one of the unamed cousins who often breaks the 4th wall to highlight points of interest to the reader. and perspective on family relations. This style was very clever and funny at times, but in the end I found it quite irritating, and the "intermissions" whilst giving a more detailed history of the family jumped timelines to make a confusing story.
As a debut novel it held my interest enough to look out for future work by this author.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

An unusual novel told in vividly descriptive prose, Idle Grounds evokes a real sense of place while bringing across the haziness of memories. It’s both a tense story of a missing cousin and a reflection on family history, as the children encounter strange happenings in the woods and remember events beyond their understanding. I loved the strong voice in this one, with playful humour and vibrant colloquialisms characterising our narrator from the very first page.

The childhood perspectives made this an interesting read, with family struggles made even more heartbreaking by the innocence and misunderstanding of the young narrator. There were some powerful reflections on loved ones, grief, friendship and family, alongside the more ominous and tense main plot which was immediately unnerving.

Strange, emotional, reflective, and unlike anything I’ve ever read. Thank you to the publisher for the NetGalley arc!

Idle Grounds is an unusual , immersive, strange book. It hooked me from the first page, when we are introduced to a group of children. They are cousins, ranged in age from 3 to 12, and have come together for a family event. When the youngest child goes missing, the rest of the children set out on a strange adventure to try and find her. What proceeds is then a story that takes the reader inside the mind of a child. And what it feels like to be powerless in a world controlled and dictated by adults. By turns mysterious, funny, downright odd, this book was unlike anything I had read before.

This was a bizarre little novel unlike anything I’ve read before, but I can’t help but feel that some deeper meaning went straight over my head while reading. It has a surreal method of storytelling, following an unnamed child (or group of children?) at a family party, searching for a missing sibling who has potentially been snatched by a monstrous entity. With the parents completely oblivious to the potential threat, it's up to the kids to venture outside and work out what’s happening.

The writing style was very distinct and absolutely nailed the hazy, half recollected feel of a childhood memory. As the children move between locations searching for the missing girl, they pick up on details and get distracted by things that feel accurate and believable from a child’s perspective. I found the effect to be very vivid and tense, as we watch the group try not to address the sinister presence, but gradually broaden their search.

There are plenty of fragmented interludes and flashback stories in the narrative that build a picture of the wider family, and the relationship between the adults in the family. I’ll admit that I struggled to follow these segments jumping back and forth, particularly as the relationships between the adults changed over the years. It’s very possible that this was exactly the point, highlighting how confusing these nuanced relationships could be from a child’s perspective. It did sadly detract from my enjoyment of the story, though the novel deserves some praise for its execution nonetheless.

Not sure why this listed as horror on NetGalley. It was uncanny and a bit weird, sure, but not horror.

Anyway, I’m not mad I read it. There was something compelling about the writing, that unfurled its secrets carefully and patiently. Even if it did meander a little too often for my liking.

An interesting piece of literary fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This book has a good premise and the characters were well rounded. Unfortunately, it was just a tad too slow for me but overall not bad.

DNF at 29%
I absolutely love the cover of this short novel, I liked the idea of the story, but the writing rambles on and on and I just lost interest. This wasn’t for me I’m afraid.
Thank you Random House UK and Netgalley UK for the ARC.

I was looking forward to this and right from the start it reminded me of another book that came out recently, just not as good.

It all felt as though it wasn't going anywhere and was a children's game with no fixed outcome. It was written well and almost got into it but it disappointed page after page.

It was a nothing of a book really.

The pacing was too slow for me and I didn’t connect with the story! Which is a bummer because the premise of the book was right up my alley!

If you’re looking for an eerie, atmospheric, unusual read, then this is definitely one for you.

We join a group of children at a family party, who end up looking for one of their cousins, after they disappear.
Told from the point of view of a child/children, (it’s never made clear exactly who the narrator is), it’s a dark & twisty read that is hard to quantify here.
In the whole, I’m pleased I read it, it’s certainly a story that will stay with you and will pop into your head at random times.
Would recommend.

Idle Grounds by Krystelle Bamford is a poignant and beautifully crafted exploration of grief, memory, and the longing for connection. Bamford’s evocative prose draws readers into the quiet, reflective spaces of her characters’ lives, where the weight of loss is juxtaposed with fleeting moments of hope and renewal. The narrative’s subtle pacing allows the emotional depth of the story to unfold naturally, inviting readers to linger in its introspective atmosphere. Through masterful imagery and understated yet powerful storytelling, Bamford captures the complexity of human emotions and the enduring impact of the past.

Abby has gone missing in the group of Children who are cousins set out to look for her in the middle of a family party
It’s unusual to have a book written in the first person plural we or us which describes a group of children without singling anyone out I rather liked it gave the book an unusual aspect

I enjoyed the authors writing style, particularly as I’ve already mentioned the use of the we or us during the narration.
The story starts off quite strongly and grabbed my interest however it then tends to rather meander forward in an unfocused fashion and I found myself becoming a little bored. I didn’t particularly enjoy the ending felt rather confused like I was missing something in my understanding. I suspect this book will get mixed reviews. Some like myself will not really understand it worse as others will find themselves completely immersed in a nightmare like experience which they may enjoy more than my I did.
The book touches on some sensitive topics for example, one of the children appears to have potentially injured another child in the past I was left as clear as to whether this child was involved in some kind of abusive relationship
Ultimately this book wasn’t really for me. I think it will have some people who love it however.
I read an early copy of the novel on the NetGalley UK in return for an honest review the book is published in the UK on the 17th of April 2025 by Random house UK, Cornerstone This review will appear on StoryGraph, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahS books.wordpress.com after publication it will also appear on Amazon Uk

What an absolute fever dream of a novel. Surreal, beautifully written, and about the trappings of familial bonds, it read at times like a prequel to "Brutes."

Idle Grounds captures a haunting day in childhood, where innocence contrasts with dark events, set against a nostalgic, poetic backdrop of a vividly described family estate.

Idle Grounds is a beautifully narrated novel that recounts a day in the childhood of a group of cousins. The children are an amalgamation, largely speaking and acting as one. Reminiscing on the past, they have a distinctly adult vocabulary, but a light innocence is sustained throughout in contrast to the dark content matter. This perspective made the novel feel haunting as the adult reader is fully aware of the sense of urgency the children should be feeling, but the children are unaware of the gravity of the situation they find themselves in.

The children are nerverackingly slow in their choices, not getting adults involved until the situation is dire, and even then not relaying the extremity of the situation. Their lack of urgency was emphasised by the novel’s ‘intermezzo’ chapters throughout, anecdotal chapters describing moments from the family’s history. These moments of respite from the grittiness of the rest of the novel felt apt, true to childish digressions, and providing a compelling B-story.

The sprawling family estate is richly depicted, almost anthropomorphic in its response to the children’s exploration of the river, the trees, the fields that surround the house. It felt poetic and dreamlike, adding to the hazy, nostalgic feel. A powerfully evocative novel, would highly recommend.