I wasn’t sure about this subject matter when I read the “blurb” as I thought it might be a bit heavy, however this novel is a sensitive look at life in general. Neil has been tempted away from the family home by an affair & we watch, first hand, the rest of the family unraveling.

It’s a pleasant read & I wanted to keep reading… 4*

I started the novel dubious, tore through the middle engrossed, only to be disheartened again by the ending. First, the good stuff. The sense of place and time is fantastically captured. We’re in Brussels, 2016, the year of the terrorist bombings. Descriptions of the cobbled streets, the tall balconied houses, the art deco cafes, put you perfectly in situ. And the interesting personal stuff - after twenty five years together, a marriage is falling apart. Neil, the solidly decent bean-counter, is having an affair with a younger woman and feels reborn. His American wife Marcy is - not blissfully, exactly - unaware, and hopes that his moving out is a phase, an almost-to-be-expected midlife crisis that together they’ll get over. In the meantime she’s going to focus on their children, and open their home up to… a Syrian refugee, the inscrutable and mysterious Nizar. Add to this a hugely likeable, quietly tortured-soul Alec, their middle son, and it should add up to a fantastic read. The problem I initially had was with the frankly unsympathetic Neil, and the obviousness of the unsuitability of his doomed affair. Then, the unbearable goodness of Marcy, who accepts personal sacrifice and the pain of abandonment with infuriating calm. When she finally realises what’s going on, her rage is awakened and there is a heady period in the novel where everything works - the writing is witty and pithy, the danger of bombs grows, reflecting the minefield of their personal landscape, and it looks as though Neil will get his just desserts. So I was bitterly disappointed with the novel’s ending, which I felt was both hurried and unrealistic.

This book was just too slow for me. I tried hard but it just didn't get going for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this a lot, speaking as a fan of the author's very different debut novel. Her writing is very fluent and engaging and she has a keen eye for familial disharmony and social issues. Brussels isn't the most engaging setting for anyone who doesn't know it, but it took me back to a time when I went there a lot.

I was in 2 minds about this book but it was still a good read.

It is about the Yardley family who go through the trails and tribulations of divorced and a broken home. It goes through the process of repairing and rebuilding a new home and 3 children. When one parent decides to foster a refugee set in the background of terrorists attacks. It did highlight how assumptions are made and the detrimental effect they can have

I felt the characters just required a bit more depth and I wanted to be drawn in but it didn't happen for me. I still finished the book as it was good.

Neil, a Brit, and Marcy, an American, live in Belgium and are going through separation, and their three kids are definitely feeling the weight of it.
Marcy has also decided to host Nizar, a young Syrian refugee.
Europe is seeing a rise in terrorist attacks and this also affects Belgium and the Yardley family.

I found the topic and story very interesting, but it is such a slow burner. It only got really lively at the very end....

“We’re not even a family anymore, just a bunch of misplaced persons. We don’t belong anywhere”


This book supported a good mix of content, making it both storyline and character driven in an almost even split. It also offered a real sense of time and place, making it an interesting and immersive journey for any ‘armchair travellers’ amongst you, however the many locations ( UK, US, Paris and Brussels), were only touched on briefly as an overview and in no great detail.

This story opened at a rather desolate and sad time for the Yardley family, as they were in the midst of being torn apart by a crisis with potentially far-reaching consequences. The downwards trend of their personal relationships, continued to affect their lives for much of the storyline. The air was constantly full of a tension which was palpable and I could almost feel the stresses and strains through the words on the pages, which made me quite nervous about the eventual outcome. There was just a glimmer of hope to hang my hat on by the end of the saga, although tentative olive branches were no measure of successful change just yet … so I was left only with the desire for ongoing reconciliation and understanding for the family.

The complex storyline is well structured and nuanced, making it deceptively multi-layered if you look closely beneath the veneer of self-reliance, which each member of the family has built around themselves. They are all busy trying to come to terms with their individual slices of the angst and vulnerability pie, effectively shutting each other out and isolating themselves from the relief that sharing their problems might bring to the table. For when those worries and doubts eventually bubble to the surface and overflow, which they inevitably do, no one really has the capacity, or even the will, to pick up the pieces quickly enough to avoid the potential disaster which almost overwhelms not only them, but the Brussels community in which they live and the country of Belgium they now call home, when terrorists strike at its very heart, following the Bataclan Massacre in Paris.

The adults seem so intent on espousing their own woes, that none of them notice the strain this is placing on the children and the toll it is taking on their health, especially the eldest son Alec, who feels obliged to keep his father’s secret, for fear of upsetting his mother even more and tipping her over the edge emotionally. Neil, their British father, is busy trying to keep his much younger ‘fling’ happy, whilst trying to work out how he can avoid becoming responsible for a toddler at his time of life. Marcy, their American mother, seems to have lost all sense of reason and logic and is barely holding things together for her three children on a daily basis. Very early on in this unfolding saga, she also makes a very random, knee-jerk, ill-considered decision, which piles even more pressure on the totally disturbed Alec. Whilst their daughter Sasha appears to be the strongest individual in this fractured family, everyone seems to be ignoring the most vulnerable member, Jake, who is failing in his early years education and is busy building a LEGO world around himself!

At this time of great uncertainty and suspicion, when refugees are coming increasingly under the spotlight, Marcy, despite all the problems she has within her own family, decides that taking in a young homeless Syrian male, is a really good idea. This is done without thought nor care for what her children may think and I can only assume that this is included to highlight Marcy’s near total health breakdown, as there seems little synergy between the two storylines otherwise. When Nizar’s strange behaviour only alerts Alec to even more potential discord and upset, I really did begin to feel sorry for him and was waiting for one of his parents to stop thinking only of themselves and step up for their family. On a purely personal note however, the descriptions of the charity warehouse which supported the refugee camp were very realistic and mirrored my own experiences of volunteering in a retail charity shop, in support of my local hospice. For me that added an angle to this part of the story, I could relate to and didn’t make it quite so unconnected.

Some nice length, well signposted chapters, kept the storyline seamlessly fluid, although I felt there was a lot of latent potential to have expanded and opened up the narrative considerably, without damaging its integrity, especially in light of the confident ease and assured style of writing, which author Susan Beale demonstrates, together with the genuine ‘heart’ I could tell she had injected into her work.

Susan has created an emotionally starved and complex cast of characters, all searching for a sense of belonging, which made them difficult to connect with or invest in, although within their own limitations and vulnerabilities, they were extremely well defined and developed. She has captured wonderfully a sense of realistic and authentic family dynamics, which although not particularly engaging or comfortable to watch, is raw and passionate, genuine and believable.

I really wanted this storyline to go places, as it had great potential from the start, which only increased as the extra twists and turns were added along the way. Whilst it didn’t lose too much impetus during the telling, I definitely felt it rather lacked that overall ‘Wow! I never saw that coming’ factor. Hence my 4 stars, rather than the 5 I had anticipated awarding.

However, what makes reading such a wonderful experience, is that with every story, each reader is taken on a unique and individual journey. So I recommend you read this one for yourself and see where it leads you!

The author Susan Beale had me hooked into the storyline of this book from the very start due to a well paced plot. I really enjoyed seeing the marriage breakdown from all angles in this moral tale of the consequences of divorce. The perspective of all the characters provided good insight into the political events in Brussels. Not my usual choice of book but one I really became engrossed in and would highly recommend if you are wanting to read something a little bit different.

Unfortunately I just could not get into this book. It may be one for other readers, but I was unable to finish it.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, John Murray Press, and the author Susan Beale.
This book is a very good reminder to appreciate what you have, and your lot in life.
The Yardley family experiences one disaster and misunderstanding followed by another, and honestly it was all a little bit depressing. However, it was very well written and involving, and had a satisfying conclusion. 3 stars.

An engaging read. Took me a while to get into this one but I did enjoy it, A story of how someone's actions can shatter a family.

Not my cup of tea.

I was so looking forward to reading this book after the fantastic blurb given by the publishers. It’s just a shame that they managed to make a mountain out of a molehill.

The plot should have flowed well. Man hits a midlife crisis. Has affair with a younger, beautiful woman. Wife gave up everything to raise children. Now works as an English teacher for those wanting to learn English. Perfect daughter. Difficult teenage son. Exuberant happy seven-year-old. The mother bereft after losing her husband decides to take in a refugee.

This could have been a great book. A moral tale of how divorce can affect not just the immediate family but extended family and friends. Midlife crises create huge problems as do teenagers. Add fostering a refugee amidst the terror attacks in Europe and this really should have been a truly excellent book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. The characters didn’t ring true. They had no depth, except maybe the refugee. He was the only one I could pity.

Bluebell

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

The blurb for this book was intriguing and I was looking forward to a story that was told from a different perspective ie set in Belgium and narrated by various nationalities. However I found the writing turgid and at times irrelevant. There seemed to be a broad brush approach to teenage angst, mid life crisis, brash Americans and let’s not forget the terrorist/refugee aspects.

A real family domestic saga. A fractured family, an affair, a scorned wife. All set in the days of high level terror in Belgium and other European cities. A real thought provoking read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book, but I wasn't sure what to expect. However, Beale's novel is a thoughtful exploration of family, prejudice and relationships set against the backdrop of the Bataclan attack in Paris in 2015. My only reservation is that I would have liked more insight into Nizar and for that perspective to have been explored further. However, as a snapshot of a white family coming to terms with adultery and their own prejudice, it was a good read.

This is the story of the Yardley family. English father Neil, American mother Marcy, and their three children, Sasha, Alex and Jake. Being bought up in Belgium has left Alec feeling like he doesn't really belong anywhere - not really American, not really English and not considered Belgian by his classmates.

When we meet the Yardley family they are fractured. Neil has set up house with his new girlfriend - something he has neglected to tell his wife and children. Marcy appears to have come apart at the seams following Neil's departure and has been giving the furniture away to a refugee charity....that is until she brings home Nizar, a young Syrian refugee waiting for his permanent residency to come through. Alec is suspicious, why does his mother think more of Nizar than she does of him and just why is Nizar acting so suspiciously.

Set against the backdrop of the terrorist attacks in Paris and the subsequent manhunt in Belgium this is a fascinating read that challenges your perceptions. It demonstrates how quickly people jump to conclusions and how those conclusions are very often wrong.

I really enjoyed this novel and couldn't put it down. It's a fascinating, if slow, read but one not to be missed.

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

Subtle in its storytelling, Misplaced Persons is a quietly poignant book that I enjoyed.

I’ve not read many books which are set against the backdrop of both the refugee crisis and the terror attacks on Belgium in 2016, but here Susan Beale has deftly explored some major themes such as prejudice, betrayal, the importance of family, and what ‘home’ really means.

As somebody who has a personal connection to Belgium, I recognised and celebrated the mentions of familiar places, foods, and the way things work there. The pace of the book wasn’t particularly quick, but I actually thought this helped demonstrate the reality of the topics that are covered.

Thank you for the ARC.

Reviewed on Instagram, Goodreads and Amazon.

Misplaced Persons is a terrific contemporary novel that starts off as a domestic novel about an acrimonious divorce between Neil and Marcy but soon becomes more complex and poignant. Marcy is a non-conformist, empathetic, tolerant person who reacts to the refugee crisis by inviting Nizar an 18 year old Syrian into their home. Neil has left Marcy for the younger work colleague Chloe leaving Marcy with the three children and money problems. The family is a melting pot with Neil from England and Marcy from America living in Brussels with their Belgium born children. Two of the children Jake (the youngest) and Sasha accept Nizar into their home whilst Alec (the eldest) is more suspicious and less trusting of him.
In the background the horrors of terrorist attacks take place while family bonds are stretched. All the characters are fully developed in this carefully paced novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel which I found rich and complex with a satisfying conclusion.

Found this a quick and easy read. I am very used to there being a life lesson or a whodunnit in the books I usually choose so this book was a bit of a puzzler for me when I finished it. The writing is good and the characters are relatable which is why I’ve given a good rating but I think overall this wasn’t really the kind of book I would pick again.

I found this book very interesting. It chugged along nicely and kept me turning the pages. I would recommend this book.