Idle Grounds
$23.64
- Paperback
192 pages
- Release Date
7 July 2026
Summary
The critically acclaimed debut from poet Krystelle Bamford.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION FINALIST FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR FIRST FICTION
“Ambitious, wildly original … it will trick and tease you to the bitter end.” – THE TIMES
“Singular and potent … Unsettling and sharply funny with carefully built-up layers of dis-ease in a comic deadpan.” – GUARDIAN
“A masterclass in mis…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781804951965 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 180495196X |
| Author: | Krystelle Bamford |
| Publisher: | Cornerstone |
| Imprint: | Penguin |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 192 |
| Release Date: | 7 July 2026 |
| Weight: | 140g |
| Dimensions: | 197mm x 129mm x 14mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
This richly imagined, atmospheric novel marches to its own beat … It’s a novel that constantly wrongfoots the reader, switching seamlessly between moments of terror and hilarity. Idle Grounds will trick and tease you to the bitter end * The Times *
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 *
This debut novel is superb * The Telegraph *
Idle Grounds is a masterclass in misdirection * Financial Times *
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
An acid trip of a novel. Weird, sinister and darkly funny. I can’t wait to see what Bamford does next – Amy Twigg
An unforgettable narrative voice that brings to mind both JD Salinger and Shirley Jackson. – Francine Toon
With an unrelenting, formidable energy, Bamford has a style characterised by a startling vividness and valiant humour … this is a debut which marks the arrival of a singular new talent * Irish Times *
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 *
About The Author
Krystelle Bamford
Krystelle Bamford’s work has appeared in The American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review, bath magg, PANK, Under the Radar, and a number of anthologies, including Best New British and Irish Poets 2019-2021 (Eyewear). She is a 2019 Primers (Nine Arches Press) poet and was awarded a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. Born in France and raised in a haunted little corner of Massachusetts, she now lives with her partner and two kids in Edinburgh. Idle Grounds is her debut novel.
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