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  • Published: 6 February 2020
  • ISBN: 9781405935975
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $45.00
Categories:

Beneath the Surface

The closer the family, the darker the secrets





The stunning new psychological family drama from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Betrayals and The Good Girl

Everyone is talking about Grace's family.
But for all the wrong reasons . . .Grace wanted to give her daughters the idyllic childhood she never had. And with teenage Lilly, her golden girl, she's never had to worry - unlike with ten-year-old Mia, who often lands herself in trouble.
But when Lilly suddenly collapses at school, Grace's carefully ordered world crashes down. Because it turns out Lilly isn't the perfect daughter after all. Suddenly, Grace is fixated on uncovering the truth.
Which is when she takes her eyes off Mia . . .

  • Published: 6 February 2020
  • ISBN: 9781405935975
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $45.00
Categories:

About the author

Fiona Neill

Fiona Neill is an author and journalist who has written four Sunday Times bestsellers. Her first novel The Secret Life of a Slummy Mummy, based on her hugely popular column in The Times, was an international bestseller that was published in twenty-five countries. Her last widely acclaimed novel The Betrayals was a Richard & Judy Book Club Pick 2017.

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 for many publications including The Times, Sunday Times Style, and The Telegraph Magazine as well as 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.
Discover more about Fiona and her work at fionaneill.co.uk

Also by Fiona Neill

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Praise for Beneath the Surface

Praise for Fiona Neill

-

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

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

Lisa Jewell

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'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

A novel made for heated book club debates

Stylist

Sometimes touching, sometimes shocking

Daily Mail

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

Guardian

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

Helen Walsh

Raises all kinds of contemporary issues with wit and sensitivity

Times

A topical, tense and addictive read

Good Housekeeping

Cracking

Prima

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

My Weekly

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

Vogue

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

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

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

The Hot List

Inside Soap

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

Prima, Best Holiday Reads

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

Daily Mail
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