Beneath the Surface - Fiona Neill

PRE-ORDER NOW: the stunning new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Betrayals and The Good Girl

After a chaotic childhood, Grace Vermuyden is determined her own daughters will fulfil the dreams denied to her. Lilly is everyone's golden girl, the popular, clever daughter she never had to worry about. So when she mysteriously collapses in class, Grace's carefully ordered world begins to unravel.

Dark rumours swirl around their tight-knit community on the edge of the Fens as everyone comes up with their own theories about what happened. Consumed with paranoia, and faced with increasing evidence that Lilly has been leading a secret life, Grace starts to search for clues.

Left to her own devices, ten-year-old Mia develops some wild theories of her own that have unforeseen and devastating consequences for the people she loves most.

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.


Praise for Fiona Neill:

'A novel made for heated book club debates' Stylist

'Vivid and insightful' Guardian

'No one writes about modern family with more truth or authenticity than Fiona Neill' Lisa Jewell

Fiona Neill is an author and journalist who has written five Sunday Times bestsellers. Her last novel, The Betrayals, sold over 130,000 copies and was a Richard & Judy Book Club selection. Fiona worked as a foreign correspondent in Central America for six years and returned to the UK as assistant editor on Marie Claire before joining The Times Magazine as assistant editor. She has written features for many publications including The Times, Sunday Times Style, and the Telegraph Magazine as well as having written a screenplay of her first novel for the BFI. Fiona grew up in rural North Norfolk and lives in London with her husband and three children.

A sophisticated parable of modern family life . . . Well-paced and intriguing
Daily Mail

Neill describes human dysfunction with such compelling empathy . . . richly tense and deeply satisfying. I didn't want to finish!
Hilary Boyd, bestselling author of The Anniversary

With her trademark dark humour and incisive observations of family life, Neill takes the reader on a fascinating, moving and intelligent journey to the truth
Gillian McAllister, bestselling author of No Further Questions

A rich, dark and satisfying read about the complexities of modern family life. I adored it
Jane Fallon, bestselling author of Faking Friends

One of the most intelligent, engaging and perceptive writers about family life . . . beautifully told with great suspense.
It is impossible not to become engrossed in the trials and tribulations of the Vermuyden family as secret histories unravel
Rachel Hore, author of the Memory Garden

This deft study of family dynamic sees Grace wanting to give her two daughters a better life than she had
Prima, Best Holiday Reads

An acutely observed story of the complex dynamics of family life and the challenges of navigating young friendships and relationships. Neill has created utterly believable, flawed yet likeable characters and a gripping drama
WI Life

It's a tense, intricate and whip-smart drama that peels back the lid of a seemingly 'perfect' family and reveals the dark truth underneath. The characters are brilliantly drawn, the bubbling undercurrent of foreboding is palpable and there's a slam-dunk of a twist too. The perfect read to lose yourself in on holiday this summer
Isabelle Broom, Woman & Home Reading Room

Praise for Fiona Neill
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Exquisitely drawn and perfectly realised, no one writes about modern family with more truth and authenticity than Fiona Neill
Lisa Jewell

Raises all kinds of contemporary issues with wit and sensitivity
Times

A novel made for heated book club debates
Stylist

Vivid and insightful, and Neill has a trained eye for the pressures and poignancies of modern family life
Guardian

A topical, tense and addictive read
Good Housekeeping

A vivid and insightful portrayal of a family in crisis; Neill's writing is incisive, smart and at times darkly funny. A writer at the top of her game
Gillian McAllister

Thought-provoking and stands out from the crowd
Grazia

Neill writes with verve, honesty and breathtaking insight. Utterly unputdownable
Helen Walsh

Sometimes touching, sometimes shocking
Daily Mail

A rollicking read that should not be picked up at bedtime, or you'll be done for in terms of a good night's sleep
Stylist

Neill's characters are so cleverly depicted, you feel as if you've met at least one of them before
Vogue

Neill's plotting is beyond compare . . . an utterly absorbing account of deception and desire
Nicola Moriarty

I thoroughly enjoyed this brilliantly observed novel about a family in meltdown
Kathryn Hughes

Cracking
Prima

Contemporary issues are tackled here with both humour and realism, making for an engrossing read
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