This book was "Brutes" meets "God of the Woods." I think the writing was very good but the plot didn't hold my interest. There was a lot of random pop culture references at times that took me out of the story. This book is narrated in first person plural, which made sense for this story, however it is not my favorite point of views.

Kind of a messy read. Like a rambling livejournal post written by a second grader. Yet still slightly compelling.

Childhood nostalgia glosses over the bad points. We can remember afternoons in treehouses or evenings playing in various front yards. We don't look back at the missing kid from down the street or the car wreck that hurt the star basketball player with fondness.

Idle Grounds by Krystelle Bamford is a fever dream of nostalgia and regret. A group of cousins, one afternoon, in the woods between their aunt's house and their parent's childhood home, and the tragedy that defines their relationships moving forward.

Bamford's writing is like a soft current, guiding the reader through family dynamics, turning softly to parental history, and then veering off to adventure and mystery. There are the small dams—tragedy, death, mystery—but it all flows along in that hazy, sepia-toned way that looking back always does.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this fantastic novel.

“On a New England morning in a late 1980s, a group of young cousins wander deep into the woods on their family’s property, drawn, and by uncanny visions and the disappearance of one of their own—but the farther they go, the stranger their surroundings become”.

When I first read the above description of the above quote I thought …. “hmmmm, into the woods we go” . . . perhaps some similarities to “The God of The Woods” by Liz Moore.”….( a book and author I love) . . .
The genres in both books are:
….mystery, fiction, literary fiction, family, historical fiction, ….and both novels are looking for a child in the woods….
The one immediate difference I noticed in the “labeled-promoted-genre’ in “Idle Grounds”, was *Horror*.
Horror? Really …..I don’t usually read ‘horror’….. (and I’m still not convinced “Idle Grounds” needed to add that word-Horror-any more than many other literary mysterious-thriller-types.
However ….let the word sit: Horror ….. (I suppose each reader can decide)….
Yet….not my choice word (I think of horror differently….books to stay clear of for my sensitive stomach)….
To me Krystelle Bamford’s novel has creepiness and is unsettling—(there is discovery of a crime, of malice—monstrosity atrociousness), but because the writing is so spectacular and unique—looking back through memories—I was left to ponder questions, reflect, and draw my own conclusions.
I loved this book ….(DIFFERENT—and even half the size in length, than Liz Moore’s missing child-in-the-woods story)….but equally as DAMN GREAT!!!

I’ve already chatted a lot about nothing here — (ha! welcome to me)….
but I always pause & hesitate before writing a review for a book that is only a couple hundred pages long….as anything I say might feel like a spoiler….
So….
Instead of saying….(ha!) >
….that three year old Abi goes missing during a family birthday gathering ….
or
….that we meet a colorful group of kids, interesting adult Aunt Frankie, clueless parents, Grandma-matriarch: Beezy, (her family history and how she died)…
and
….that there are several Intermezzo’s …..(short intervals, intermissions of sorts), of sharing past tales…
….as well as other peculiar, and inexplainable storytelling…
I’ll simply leave a few — out of context teasers:
Here goes:
“The thing is, there were lots of trees, any one of which could have had a small child, crouching behind it, a world of trees, infinite in number and variation, spreading farther and farther away from the house down toward the river in an uncontained spillage of green and damp black and moth brown”.

“What we did see (not Abi, Abi wasn’t there) was a bottle of peach nail polish, and a leather day planner the size of a Pop-Tart and a baseball hat, squashed past all recognition and some pennies and nickels, but nothing larger”.

“Abi? Travis called out olly olly oxen free” . . .
“Abi’s named arced over our heads and was absorbed into the thickness or else just slid off, but either way it didn’t make it. The glutinous mantle sat still and waited and us too, but not in the same way”.



Constellations— a fascinating
“intermission” belief inquiry….

Intermezzo- a brief interlude
“The world, as we saw it
then, was a shallow but infinite basin of rippling green with no one in it but us. We sat down and crossed your legs and looked up at Frankie, who had her arms wide open in a way that can only be described as ecstatic”.

“cold horror” . . . (hungry kid) . . .

Or . . .
“Goldilocksing it up in there” . . .

Or . . . frenzied animals . . .

Or . . . numbskulls . . .

Or . . . Cheez Balls . . .

Or . . . a mechanic , the Big Dipper . . . or minor injuries . . . or covering one’s ass . . .

Or . . . frantic dashing, panting, absolutely shitting themselves . . .

Or . . . the most titanic silence you ever heard . . .

Or . . . just a voice box in a toy chest while the toy itself lies miles away . . .

Or . . that other Thanksgiving, the Year of the Slap . . .

Ha! Ha! (again with the ha’s)….I hope this review makes little sense ….but I do hope many people read it.
I think it’s brilliant. I loved it.

“Idle Grounds” (outstanding debut novel), is short investment of time for a whole-lot-of-incredible-thought-provoking-atmospheric-wholesomely-inoffensively-darkly-whimsical-wild-enjoyable ride.

Congrats to Krystelle Bamford… whose work has appeared in The American Poetry Review…etc.

very well written., the writing feels slimy, almost. or slippery, rather. instead of sticking like you'd think, it squirms away in all the best ways. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

**Features:**
- A somewhat nostalgic family gather turned adventure for a group of cousins
- Stylistic and atmospheric writing
- Setting feels like its own character
- Uncovering family history and intergenerational trauma

**Synopsis:**

Family gatherings can be such dull affairs and this one seems like it won’t be any different. However, when one of the cousins wanders off on her own, it is up to the rest to go find her. Their adventure will lead them beyond the walls of the house and into the woods between their aunt’s house and their parents’ childhood home. The more secrets they uncover, the more sinister their world becomes.

**Thoughts:**

This book manages to hit right in the nostalgia while simultaneously exploring dark themes and creating a foreboding atmosphere. It has an interesting narration style where it is never clear who specifically the narrator is. Not having a specific person in mind for this voice threw me off a little at first, but I ended up loving this stylistic choice. Most of the time it feels like the narrator is actually the voice of the whole group of cousins rather than an individual and that really helped capture the feeling of childhood adventure for me. Though it is clear from the beginning that this is someone looking back at a pivotal moment with a more adult voice, they still manage to capture the childlike wonder and approach to the world as the group explores the family property. Even with a small tendency to ramble on, this is an exceptional example of how to capture a child’s perspective in an adult book.

This story takes place over the course of a family gathering with the narrator explaining parts of the family history as they become relevant. Despite the celebratory gathering, the atmosphere is tense from the very beginning and only grows the more the children explore and uncover. In addition to being incredibly atmospheric, the setting often feels like its own character. Things get progressively stranger as the story unfolds and it can be hard to tell how much is childhood understanding or imagination and how much might be supernatural. No matter how you choose to approach it, the way things are presented are an important part of exploring the story’s darker themes. Where I really like the ambiguity of whether something was ‘magic’ or not, some readers might find it confusing. Overall, this is a dark and beautiful literary piece that is definitely worth a try.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Reading this felt a bit like an eerie fever dream. I found myself feelinig unsettled throughout, and that's rare for me, so I count that as a real win for this author's atmosphere building. Definitely a nebulous, you-have-to-experience it sort of deal.

Well, I’m not really sure what actually happened in this book. However, the writing is lovely, and the author does a good job capturing the way the world looks to children. Tiny things have great importance, and the adults’ world is fairly inscrutable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Scribner for the advanced copy of this novel in return for my honest thoughts. This novel is out Feb 10, 2025.

I unfortunately had to DNF this one. The plot was intriguing and seemingly had great bones but I could not get through it with the writing personally. The writing made it really hard to even know what was going on and the plot wasn’t solid enough to trudge through it to the end. I think the author attempted to take on a childlike voice but at the same time referencing the reader which made me think that this was a retelling from the once child’s voice? Reading this was like reading a high school freshman’s creative writing essay and they didn’t prof read it before turning it in. As I was reading I often had an internal monologue of, an editor thinking about what I would cut or expand on. It makes me feel sad when I read something that has bones but the writing drags you to hell. All in all, choices were made and I could not get aboard the train on this one.

P.S
If this novel excites you I urge any reader to give all titles a shot and form their own opinions.

Hauntingly beautiful writing. I really cannot say enough about how gorgeous the prose is. Even for a short novel, it packs a big punch.

I absolutely loved this. I wish it had been longer is my only complaint.
I love stories about the mysterious woods and coming from the mouths and minds of babes

I really wanted to like this book. The language was beautiful, but while the concept was intriguing, it never grabbed me. I got names confused at the beginning, no story was ever finished, and while I appreciated the voice of the narrator, I also didn’t feel invested in any of the characters.

Hard to characterize this one. It’s comic and gothic, domestic and philosophical. It twinkles with unexpected language and sudden weighty observations, at others meanders amongst horror, squabbles, speculation on family and behavior. I was often intrigued and impressed by the atmospheric nature. But eventually, even though it’s a short read, I got a bit fed up with the mixing and mooching, and began to wonder exactly how much it added up to. Not memorable for content as much as the intelligence of the writing.

A spectral atmospheric story of cousins at a family party. When the very youngest, Abi, is lost from the group, the gang is quick to investigate themselves rather than involving adults. It's such an gripping story! Bamford articulates the thoughts of children immaculately and we feel their strong emotions as they attempt to rectify the problem.

Bamford seamlessly includes multiple interesting plot devices including a "literary hopeful" tone by the author and the idea that there is more in the woods than what seems. A short novel and a unique one. Perfect for those who love a mysterious story, a family tale gone wrong and those who love literature that captures a child's voice (like me)!
#scribner #idlegrounds #krystellebamford

Beautiful, delicate, and surprising at the sentence level with a mystical and mysterious plot. Really enjoyed this portal of a novel.