Q&A with Jennifer Trevelyan, author of A Beautiful Family

Allen & Unwin
May 26
3 min read

We chat with the author of A Beautiful Family, Jennifer Trevelyan.

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan

A&U: Could you tell us a little about your debut novel A Beautiful Family?

JT: A Beautiful Family is set on the Kapiti coast of New Zealand in 1985. It is a coming-of-age mystery novel about a summer holiday that threatens to tear a family apart. It was inspired, at least in terms of time and place, by my own childhood holidays in that part of the world.

A&U: Why did you want to tell your story through the eyes of a ten-year-old?

JT: I have the best memories of being ten. It’s a wonderful age when you are no longer a little kid, but you’re not burdened yet with the trials of adolescence. It’s also a time in your life when you’re still quite invisible to adults and you can do a lot of sneaking around and eavesdropping! When I was ten, I desperately wanted to have an adventure, but my life was so safe and calm (a blessing in hindsight!), so I decided to give this little girl an adventure.

A&U: You wrote this novel and then put it in a drawer for over a year. Why did you do this and what prompted you to pull it out?

JT: I had reached a point with it where I could no longer bear to look at it. Editing a novel is painstaking and lonely. I put it in the drawer meaning to have a little break from it and ending up leaving it in there for three years! Then, when I had completed an MA in Creative Writing, during which I had written another novel, I realised A Beautiful Family was the best thing I had done so far. So I pulled it back out.

A&U: The film rights for A Beautiful Family have already been snapped up ahead of publication – do you have a dream cast in mind or are you hoping to be surprised?

JT: I am not very good at picturing my characters in my head. I tend not to describe them unless I have to! Also, a lot of the leads will be young children or teenagers – so they will most likely be unknown actors plucked from local schools. Which is very exciting. I can’t wait to see what the film makers come up with.

A&U: Who are some of your writing inspirations?

JT: The book that first made me want to be a writer was Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I read it when I was about 14 and it was my introduction to psychological suspense – a pretty great introduction to have! I also remember feeling as though The Secret History by Donna Tartt was a game-changer when it came out. I hadn’t read anything like it before.

Of course I don’t only read dark books. Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Strout, and Liane Moriarty are some of my favourite writers, and I’m a big fan of David Nicholls.

A&U: What do you hope readers take away from reading A Beautiful Family?

JT: I think every author hopes that their story, and especially their characters, will live on in the reader’s mind long after the book is finished. That is certainly what I am aiming for every time I write. I do agree with other authors who say, ‘the reader completes the story’. I like to think the book reaches a satisfying conclusion, while at the same time leaving plenty for the reader to ponder.