Idle Grounds - Krystelle Bamford

''Ambitious, wildly original''
THE TIMES

''An absolute one-off''
CLAIRE FULLER

''Magical''
RACHEL YODER

''A masterclass in misdirection''
FINANCIAL TIMES

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.

The adults don’t seem to notice that the youngest of the group has disappeared. Too busy bickering over politics and reminiscing about the family’s domineering late matriarch, Beezy, they leave the children with no choice but to get Abi back themselves. As the cousins embark on a quest through their grandmother’s sprawling estate, buried family secrets come to light and long-awaited plans are set in motion. Will they lose themselves while trying to find her?

Idle Grounds is a chilling, evocative and darkly comic debut about childhood, legacy, and the burdens and privileges we carry with us.

''Superb''
THE TELEGRAPH

''Unsettingly, sharply funny''
GUARDIAN

''Extremely accomplished''
SCOTSMAN