I read - and enjoyed - The Betrayals by Fiona Neill last year, and so was chuffed when the publisher emailed me to ask if I'd like an advanced review copy - clearly I said yes!! I finished it last week - on publication date - but it's taken me this long to write a review - but at least that means if you like the sound of it you can download it immediately!
Here is the Amazon blurb:
"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. "
Again - I really enjoyed this domestic drama, which twists and turns just like Fiona Neill's previous book. I guess I also empathised with Grace even more having daughters of a similar age (although I've got so many kids, I often have one or two that are the right age for characters in books!!!)
As it says in the subtitle 'everyone lies' - and you know that people are lying from the start - but you're not quite sure why or how, but it all becomes clear as the book progresses - eventually!
Lilly is superficially a golden child and girlie swot at school - but is leading a secret teenage life. Her younger sister, Mia, is a more complicated character who struggles fitting in at school - and has two friends, Tas (from the local traveller community) and Elvis (an eel she keeps in a bucket in her bedroom!). Patrick, the father, is in financial difficulties - and Grace, the mother, is desperately trying to provide a stable family environment for her daughters that she didn't have herself. There are other peripheral characters - an Aunt and Uncle, teenager friends, other parents - and everything intertwines.
The descriptions of the dust problems in their new house, the geography of the Fens and the bad weather are also really evocative (not sure I'll be going to the Fens on holiday any time soon!)
Overall I did enjoy this and was pleased to see how it all panned out and would recommend it. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

A really interesting read not my normal type of novel but once I got into it was quite a good story The story is mostly about Grace and her relationship with her daughter's which was very intriguing and complex at times Even though the ending was good and you could finally see what had happened to her in the past would have liked to know a bit more about what happened in the present day All in all a good read

As a child, Grace Vermyuden has nothing but her little brother. And even that was ripped away from her. Determined to give her children everything her life lacked and avoid cursing them with her bad genes, Grace becomes the perfect mother. But is she doomed to repeating the past?


When her eldest daughter Lily has a seizure in class, the Vermyuden’s world is turned upside down and they are forced to come to terms with some very hard truths. Grace is smothering one child and neglecting the other in her obsession to be perfect, Patrick is drowning in financial debt but refuses to acknowledge the severity of the situation. Lily is burdened with her mother’s secret and her own teenage love triangle. And finally, my favourite character Mia, the ten year old genius that everyone sees a problem to be fixed... my heart shatters for this little girl.


Mia Vermyuden is undoubtedly the best character in this book. Fiona has fully developed her quirky, eccentric and unique way of thinking. As a child who clearly has special needs, thinks years ahead of her age and is unapologetically herself, Mia struggles to fit in both at school and at home. It’s easy to become infuriated with the parent’s treatment of Mia because you can’t help but love her fiercely.


Overall, it’s an emotionally packed read about a dysfunctional family, each with their own problems that all finally come to a head. However, the pacing was slow right up until the final third of the book, and I personally felt it left far too many questions unanswered making some of it a little confusing.

An excellent book about the intricacies of relationships, particularly family dynamics. We see the story through the eyes of Grace, the mother, and her two daughters, Lilly and the much younger Mia. Grace is desperate for her children’s childhood to be better than her own, and her disturbing back story is revealed piece by piece. Convincing characters and an compelling storyline make this a highly recommended read.

As a local archaeological dig unearths harsh burial rites and customs, secrets in the Vermuydens’ own more recent past threaten their fragile equilibrium in Fiona Neill’s latest novel.

The archaeological dig Mia’s class visits indicates how well-preserved the past is here, as well as how different and difficult life once was in the Fens. (The greater impact of the dig on one section of society signals that there are still disparities and where there's room for improvement.)

The man-made landscape is susceptible to Mother Nature exposing that which was previously buried. Storms roll in, causing flash floods or Fen Blow, where loose topsoil is lifted up and carried in the wind to be deposited elsewhere. These natural forces, in combination with more human shortcomings, converge on the Vermuyden family home, putting some relics and the secrets they embody at risk of discovery.

Vermuyden ancestors helped to reclaim the fens from the sea and their modern-day counterparts are in turn trying to prevent this marshy region from encroaching on their home. The already stressful situation is further exacerbated when a perfect storm of conflicting issues hits the family, with the potential to be every bit as corrosive as those sudden squalls which redraw the marshlands around their home.

Fiona Neill’s Beneath the Surface conveys a real sense of the Vermuydens struggling to maintain their footing, every bit as hampered and out of their element as Mia’s increasingly desolate pet eel. I read this book, almost frantic that he be returned to his watery home in time and for the Vermuydens to find a way to keep each other and their family unit afloat. Beneath the Surface is a gripping Fenland family drama inextricably bound up in the very landscape which shapes it.

This is a well written story and it is quite atmospheric. The characters were all rather unlikable however and I think this spoiled my overall enjoyment of the book.
Not my favourite book of the year so far.

“Human beings are nothing more than layers and layers of secrets”
Steeped in legends of the Fens, Grace, Patrick and their 2 daughters, Lilly and Mia, all have secrets. When Lilly is taken into hospital the secrets begin to emerge.
This atmospheric novel is more than just about a dysfunctional family – it is a mystery, thriller, modern family saga and ecological warning mixed together.

I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it. The author writes very well about family relationships. I found Grace a particularly interesting character. She expects a lot from her daughter Lily and as the novel progresses, we discover why. There are plenty of twists and turns and I had no difficulty turning the pages. I enjoyed the way the author creates a menacing setting in the Fens and found I was holding my breath in the final, dramatic scene! A great read.

A beautiful read full of human emotion which left me quivering with feeling. I loved little Mia and her quirks and the love and losses a family feels.

The history of the Fens was unknown to me and I lapped it up like a sponge. An outstanding read by an outstanding author.

From the outside the Vermuydens have a picture perfect family; an eldest daughter who is a swimming champion, straight A student and on track for Oxbridge, a younger daughter who is witty and creative, a mother who will do anything for them and a father who is distantly paternal. But when eldest daughter Lilly has a seizure in class, the cracks begin to appear, or at least become more obvious.

The family are sinking money into a house that can't be saved, Lilly has been hiding more than they thought, and Grace, the mother, has secrets of her own trapped in traumatic childhood that she is desperate to forget. Meanwhile Mia, the youngest,  is drawing on her vast imagination to find answers to the confusion and uncertainty that's surrounding her.

Mia in particular was a great character - I wasn't always convinced that she was speaking with the thoughts or voice of a ten year old - but she has the wilfulness, cruelty, kindness and capriciousness of a child. I enjoyed reading about Grace as the parent who wanted to get everything just right, to give her children the childhood she had never had. Who wanted the best for her children, and that always comes through hard work, right? And the story itself was fast-paced, gritty and a little thrilling.

However, I did find the ending a little unsatisfying. Without spoiling it, it feels like an episode of Game of Thrones when the credits start playing before you've had chance to process what had actually happened. Especially as, when you think about it, just because the book has ended, doesn't mean that everything has been resolved - there were a lot of ongoing issues, problems and questions that still needed fixing - but it would have been a disservice to wrap all of that up in an Epilogue.

Also, Patrick, the father, was so incredibly wet. I got the impression that he had been based on a number of weedy men the author might have known, with some exaggerated features, but he is very much a bit-part in this family, and is constantly emasculated. I wasn't looking for a happy, shiny ending, but he seems to have been punished for his ignorance more than any other character.

Finally, almost every chapter switches point of view every few paragraphs. This works well in keeping you hooked and pushing the story on, but as a reader it meant that there were times when it was difficult to connect with the characters, as it was like a spotlight jumping around from one to the next.

That being said, these 'every day' characters are incredibly well-written. And there are lots of interesting parallels between the setting (the open Fens, the crumbling house) and the story, as well as the mirroring of past and present. It would definitely make for an interesting discussion.

The past always affects the future, and Grace’s past was harrowing, so of course it has a huge impact on the rest of her life.
Beautifully written, I could completely imagine the fens; the smells, the often depressing weather...the danger. The climax of this story was absolutely breathtaking - just incredible, made even better because it wasn’t obvious which way the ending would go.
I loved it.

This is the story of a dysfunctional family living in damp house, who all have secrets they are keeping from the other members of the household. Lilly is a high achiever who is pushed by her mother and suffers from seizures brought on by stress. Mia her ten year old sister is an exceptional character, who gives the story some form of relief.
Overall I found the story rather slow as it wasn't really going anywhere. It picked up in the second half and then the abrupt ending left me feeling flat.
I think this could be a marmite book, some will love it some will hate it, I found it mediocre to say the least.

A very adult tale enhanced, as it turns out, by largely being told by children. which sharply reflects the impact that adult lives have upon others both now and in the future. The destructive results of secrets kept at every stage of each of the characters' lives is keenly depicted and one can't help but empathise with the sadness and troubles that follow. A book to learn from as well as to be recommended.

what a strange family this is. I loved the character of Mia but I'm not sure the other characters had enough depth to them to support the story line. Why on earth would anyone keep a positive pregnancy test? What made Patrick so incredibly bad with money. Surely Ana and Rob had undergone fertility tests and knew where the problems lay. With their money they would be undergoing fertility treatment. Lots of holes to the story but I did enjoy it and found it a compelling read. I also really enjoyed the setting in the fens and the complex, angst-ridden lives children lead at school was well portrayed.

I quite enjoyed this book, though it's not very cheerful! All families have secrets, but this particular family seem to have more than most. Grace has never told her husband the truth about her childhood and the terrible loss she suffered. Patrick is hiding the extent of money troubles from Grace. 17 year old Lilly hasn't told her parents about the boy she is involved with, and 10 year old Mia has a whole range of social problems. When Lilly has a seizure at school and ends up in hospital, all sorts of questions are asked and the family secrets start to surface. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Not great, but not awful either it just didn't blow my socks off.

This is the story of a dysfunctional family. Grace and Patrick are the parents to Lilly and Mia. Lilly is a straight A student, on course for Cambridge University, on the swimming time and in a dysfunctional relationship with her secret 'boyfriend' Cormmack and her school friends, Hayley and Jordy. Mia, on the other hand, is the family black sheep - overlooked by her parents who fixate their time and attention on Lilly, disliked by her classmates and teachers except for her traveller friend Tas and her pet eel Elvis. Mia is clearly on the Autistic/Aspergers Spectrum somewhere as she devotes her time and energies to her school project about the Anglo Saxons at the local archaeological excavation site near where Tas lives. She becomes almost obsessed about the skeleton of an Anglo Saxon girl who has been buried face down because she was pregnant without being married. Mia steals a ring from the dig site and takes it home with her. She develops a belief that the archaeologists have disturbed the spirits of the dead and that is why things are starting to go wrong...

Mia's aunt and uncle are trying to get pregnant but are struggling, Lilly has been secretly pregnant and had an abortion, Patrick is struggling with money and is up to eyes in debt to builders, credit card companies, the mortgage and even his brother, and Grace is an overbearing, controlling force in Lilly's life but barely notices that something isn't quite right with Mia, even when she causes Tas to collapse at school by playing 'The Choking Game' with him. One day, Lilly has a seizure at school in the middle of an English lesson and spends the next few weeks in hospital as wild theories swirl about what caused it.

The book is very slow moving and drawn out and there is this whole section that suddenly goes back in time to when Grace was a child, seemingly for no reason at all. The climax of the story comes right at the very end with a scene that almost but not quite mirrors an event in Grace's childhood. It left me feeling a little bit unsatisfied really as I could see it coming and just as the action builds it suddenly, abruptly ended.

I know some people will love this, but it just wasn't quite my cup of tea and I know it isn't one I will be returning to again.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for advancing me a copy of this book. It is enchanting.
Neill manages to get inside the skin of her very realistic characters and engage the reader absolutely.
The title explains the subtlety of the narrative.
Elvis the Eel, Mia's pet, lives below the surface. The new house has many faults below the surface. Memories hover below the surface in all of the characters and lead to physical illness in Lilly's case.
What seems a family story becomes much more: Lilly's teenage angst is linked to her mother's past and the family's debts connect her father and uncle in an enigmatic relationship.
Dust and water cover the Fens physically and act as metaphors for the chatacters' failures to see or express, the truth.
Neill is restrained in her prose. The reader has to work hard to draw the threads of the story together and this is a good thing. Perhaps we are like Mia, trying to work out how these adults work.
Aside from what feels like an unnecessary segue into the past, Neill keeps the reader absorbed to the last sentence.

This is one of those novels about a family with secrets. It’s well trodden ground and the author does have a new spin on it. It pivots around mum and wife Grace, and her relationship with her eldest daughter Lilly. I think I’d have felt more sympathy for Grace if the narrative had revealed her childhood issues earlier or even hinted at them.
Nonetheless it does have a lot going for it. The best developed character is the younger daughter Mia and the author deserves kudos for this character alone. I haven’t read a book with such a good child character in a long time. I defy anyone not to laugh at the sheer brilliance, cunning and wit of Mia – and I laughed a lot. She is crucial to the narrative and drives it forward in a spectacular way. It's definitely worth a read.

I found this book difficult to get into, but once I did it was definitely worth the read. It is written well and shows how you can live together as a family without really knowing what is going on in the other persons world. Nobody knows anyone 100% that the secrets if they come out can change your life in an instant. A deep dark read about modern family life.

I have to be completely and utterly honest here and say that I don’t think this book was for me.

Initially I was really drawn into the story when Lilly Vermuyden the 17 year old golden girl of her family suffers a seizure at school and no one knows the cause.

When kookie younger sister Mia finds a positive pregnancy test hidden in the garage Lilly explains that it is hers but confides in her younger sister and she tells her that she’s had an abortion.

This is a story all about family secrets, Dad Patrick and his spiralling debt problem, daughter Lilly and her typical teenage angst, Mum Grace with her tragic past and annoying paranoia and Mia who is mature beyond her years.

The ending of this book felt rushed and I didn’t feel that all the loose ends were tied up - it seemed to lose its mojo towards the end...it was also a very strange ending which left me disappointed.


Thank you to Net Galley and Michael Joseph books for an advanced copy