Could you tell us a little about your debut novel A Beautiful Family?
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.
Why did you want to tell your story through the eyes of a ten-year-old?
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
What do you hope readers take away from reading A Beautiful Family?
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.
Who are some of your writing inspirations?
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.
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Your little girl pulled at my heartstrings from beginning to end.
I so want her to be noticed, appreciated and lifted.
And I’d like to know what her next adventure is.
(I’m aghast at the parents lack of interest in her.)
Trevelyan tells the story of the summer of 1985 through the eyes of a child—mystery, family, and memory. Like playing solitaire bliss: just the right amount of solitude, quiet but captivating.
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Jennifer Trevelyan turns a childhood summer on New Zealand’s Kapiti coast into a taut mystery where innocence, family strain, and a missing girl collide with cinematic force. https://abgernygames.org/
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