Book review: A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan is a coming of age story told from the viewpoint of 10 year old Alix, holidaying with her 15 year old sister Vanessa and parents at a beachside holiday house in New Zealand. This was a nostalgic read for me as it’s set in 1985/86 and references cassette tapes, Walkmans and Dolly magazine. It’s also quintessentially NZ/Australian in some ways as Alix describes the hot sticky weather, BBQs and her father spends much time watching the cricket.

At ten years old, she catches more than her parents and older sister suspect. Over their summer break, her mother plans to finish her novel, her father wants to grill and watch cricket, and her fifteen-year-old sister hopes to catch the eye of a local lifeguard. With everyone around her distracted, she teams up with a new friend to solve a mystery that haunts this vacation they'll close the case of what happened to Charlotte, a child who was presumed drowned two years earlier.

But things aren't quite as they seem, and as the children look for clues, they inadvertently dislodge information they wish they'd never uncovered. Are her parents happy together? Is her sister putting her trust in the wrong people? Is their vacation rental as safe as it seems? And when someone else goes missing, the family find themselves at the center of an urgent police investigation.

Because this is told from the viewpoint of a 10 year old adult readers will certainly understand more than Alix when it comes to her parents’ strained relationship and suspicious behaviour indicating an affair. And then there’s Vanessa, who’s easier to read for Alix, understanding her sister’s trying to assert her independence and acting out in ways she might regret. What I very much liked though was the reminder of sisterly or family bonds, when it really comes down to it. Despite the raging hormones and the anger.

Alix befriends a 12 year old boy Kahu, who’s staying with extended family – who welcome Alix into their home as Alix’s family does with Kahu. And I loved that innocent friendship between kids before self-awareness sneaks in. Kahu tells Alix of a girl who disappeared and the pair become obsessed with solving the mystery.

In the background there’s a slightly-creepy neighbour no one but Alix seems to notice, her mother’s long solo walks and Vanessa climbing out of her window at night.

The book then turns when a body is found and there’s a real investigation into a death that could be suspicious or self-inflicted. It unsettles Alix’s parents and their close monitoring of Vanessa is lifted, allowing her to act-out even more.

I appreciated where this book went but there was something unsatisfying about it at the same time. Perhaps I’m too obtuse, but I wasn’t sure all of my questions were answered, we weren’t assured justice would be served, and there was a bittersweet sense that connections made were lost.

Trevelyan’s prose and storytelling is poignant however, effortlessly conveying the sheer weight of unfolding events.

At that point I knew our family would never recover from this—not completely. The words that had been shouted would die on the air, but in the morning the ruined magazines would still be there, lying on the floor behind the couch. No amount of time would fix their broken spines or straighten their crumpled pages. p 173

A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan was published in Australia by Allen & Unwin.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.