'Unsettling, puckish, and brilliantly written, this novel is an absolute one-off. I loved it' CLAIRE FULLER

'Magical, perplexing and funny in a wholly original way' RACHEL YODER

'Bamford conjures, in vivid, amplified language, how children fluidly and unpredictably make sense of the world … [Idle Grounds] is unsettling, sharply funny at times, with carefully built-up layers of dis-ease delivered in a comic deadpan' GUARDIAN

'A masterclass in misdirection' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Superb' THE TELEGRAPH

As always with these things it started with a birthday party.

On a bright summer day in 1989 New England, Abi, three years old, vanishes from her aunt’s secluded home. Upstairs, her young cousins are looking out of the window. Something is unfolding in the distance at the edge of the forest – something sinister that is watching them back.

The adults don’t seem to notice that the youngest of the group has disappeared. Too busy bickering over politics and reminiscing about the family’s domineering late matriarch, Beezy, they leave the children with no choice but to get Abi back themselves. As the cousins embark on a quest through their grandmother’s sprawling estate, buried family secrets come to light and long-awaited plans are set in motion. Will they lose themselves while trying to find her?

Idle Grounds is a chilling, evocative and darkly comic debut about childhood, legacy, and the burdens and privileges we carry with us.

'Haunting yet humorous, this is a debut to look out for' DAZED

'Every sentence positively bristles with unease. One of the most atmospheric novels I have read in a long time. Beautifully written' JENNIE GODFREY

'An acid trip of a novel. Weird, sinister and darkly funny' AMY TWIGG

"This debut novel is superb" - The Telegraph

"Bamford conjures, in vivid, amplified language, how children fluidly and unpredictably make sense of the world … [Idle Grounds] is unsettlingly, sharply funny at times, with carefully built-up layers of dis-ease delivered in a comic deadpan" - Guardian

"Atmospheric . . . . captures an ambling quest that is by turns funny, lyrical and surreal . . . Bamford keeps us guessing until the very end " - Mail on Sunday

"Idle Grounds is a masterclass in misdirection" - Financial Times

"[A] gorgeous, spirited debut. Absorbing ... the writing is so enthralling" - Literary Review

"Haunting . . . In barbed, poetic prose, Bamford captures the cousins’ uneasy communal existence. It’s a fresh spin on the well-worn trope of a family with secrets" - Publishers Weekly

"An original stunner" - LitHub

"Glimmering with foreboding, Bamford’s debut is an eerie consideration of family secrets in a sun-dappled setting . . . The novel casts an atmospheric spell with its surreal episodes and hints of unhappiness . . . One family’s murky hinterland is evoked in modern gothic form. Curious and original" - Kirkus Reviews

"Told in poetic, semi-collective narration, Idle Grounds is a chilling exploration of privilege, memory, and the unsettling weight of inherited history. It’s a spiraling tale that you’ll feel compelled to finish in one sitting, quick-moving and innovative. Bamford shines light into the inner lives of children- their strange fixations and values—and makes you feel like a child yourself, immersed in a world where everything feels a bit scary and a bit magical" - Oprah Daily

"Strangely beautiful . . . an incredibly vivid and fascinating debut [ . . . ] Bamford has written something really quite original and special" - Irish News

"Bewitching and immersive" - The Herland