Welcome book-clubbers! I hope you’ve been enjoying the magical month of July when we get to celebrate a cold Christmas – ‘tis the season of ugly sweaters! – and (in my case at least) try not to be drawn to every sale like a debt-ridden moth. The good news is that you can save yourself the price of a trip with a book instead that will transport you to a sleepy, secluded beach town in the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand, where one family will experience a summer they’re unlikely to forget…

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The year is 1985 (era of LiveAid, ‘The Breakfast Club’, and everything that inspired the lyrics of Bowling for Soup’s hit song) and 10-year-old Alix and her family are breaking with their usual holiday tradition by spending their summer in a less-than-ideal rental that ‘was as plain on the outside as a public toilet and not much bigger’ [page 5].

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Wait until she tries independent living.

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Although this holiday may have been intended for some quality family time, Alix is very quickly abandoned by her parents who are more concerned with enjoying their own pursuits and chooses to avoid the vitriolic teenage contempt from her sister Vanessa for her own safety (wise move).

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Armed with only her beloved Walkman and sense of adventure, Alix’s lone navigation of the beach leads her to new friend Kahu, a young boy staying with his uncle who convinces her to join his search for a girl who went missing a couple of years ago.

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Embarking on their ‘Stand By Me’ like quest, they begin to uncover some unsettling truths – not just about the missing girl but perhaps about Alix’s own family.

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While Alix is too young to connect all the dots, she has a growing feeling that they may be in grave danger.

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As the days roll on, a suffocating tension builds through the story as Alix goes to whatever lengths she can to protect her family, despite her own palpable fear and powerlessness in a situation no child should ever be in. What makes this novel all the more gripping, however, is the absolute cluelessness of her parents who are too wrapped up in their own problems to notice.

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I know parental negligence was pretty widespread back then but even this takes it up a notch.

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Jennifer Trevelyan has written a compelling debut that is both a brilliant mystery and coming-of-age novel as she captures the perspective of a girl mature enough to know when things aren’t right and frustrated by her own limitations in the world of adults.

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Telling her story through the eyes of a child creates a deliciously nail-biting element of suspense as we are able to put the pieces together and recognise the dangerous territory our plucky heroine is wandering into.

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The action Alix decides to take at the very end, though, is such a perfect unintentional mic-drop moment that made me want to give this book a standing ovation.

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A Beautiful Family has a slim chance of ever leaving my mind for quite a while and if you’ve a soft spot for bad-ass Nancy Drews, beachy thrillers and 80s throwbacks, this is the book for you.

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