In 'Idle Grounds,' a pack of children searches the woods for their missing cousin

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: Summary of "Idle Grounds" by Christelle Bamford

Episode Overview

In the February 20, 2025 episode of NPR's Book of the Day, host Aisha Roscoe delves into Christelle Bamford's latest novel, Idle Grounds. This episode explores the intricacies of the New England Gothic genre through the lens of a coming-of-age story set in the eerie woods where a group of children embarks on a quest to find their missing cousin. The discussion provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the book's themes, character dynamics, and atmospheric setting.

Introduction to New England Gothic

Andrew Limbong opens the episode by distinguishing New England Gothic from the more familiar Southern Gothic genre. He remarks:

"Something I'm less familiar with is New England Gothic. And I'm not alone." [00:02]

Christelle Bamford, the author, later explains how her novel fits into this subgenre. After visiting Salem, Massachusetts, she identifies key elements of New England Gothic—“old sins, innocence lost, light dimmed, and nightmares that may be real”—which perfectly encapsulate the novel's essence [03:44]. This backdrop sets a sinister tone beneath the seemingly ordinary daytime activities of the children.

Plot and Setting

Idle Grounds narrates the story of a family gathering for a summer birthday, where the young cousins are allowed to explore the surrounding woods. The tranquility of their adventures is shattered when the smallest cousin disappears, compelling the children to confront mature realities [02:30].

Bamford reads an evocative passage from the book:

"We were all together, which everyone seemed to dread and anticipate in equal measure... Bug spray was passed along. Hot dogs were sliced from their packaging." [01:43]

This excerpt highlights the blend of mundane summer activities with underlying tensions, setting the stage for the unfolding mystery.

Character Dynamics

The novel features a diverse group of children, each with unique roles and personalities. Bamford provides insights into the main characters:

• Travis: The eldest child, attending a prestigious private school, embodies the family's aspirations. He holds a revered position within the group [06:07].

• Abby: As the youngest cousin, Abby is portrayed as adorable and endearing, adding a layer of innocence to the narrative [06:07].

• Autumn and Owen: Initially perceived as the weaker members, they reveal inner strengths that are crucial to the group's cohesion and survival [06:07].

A particularly intriguing subplot involves Owen finding and adopting chicken eggs, which he treats as his responsibility:

"Owen finds these eggs... and he becomes their parent." [07:10]

Bamford elaborates on this:

"Parenting the eggs is a way for him to strengthen himself. He becomes their protector." [07:42]

This act symbolizes the children's attempt to assume adult roles and responsibilities in the face of adversity.

Narrative Style and Perspective

Aisha Roscoe raises a critical question about the novel's narration:

"Who is the narrator? Because the narrator is never named. Is it one of the children or is it the whole of the group?" [04:57]

Bamford responds by describing the narrator as a blend of individual and collective voices:

"At first you think it might just be a single child, and then it slides into kind of a Greek chorus voice." [05:17]

This narrative choice reflects the intuitive yet limited understanding children have of their reality, capturing both their emotional depth and factual innocence.

Themes and Messages

Idle Grounds explores the delicate balance between childhood innocence and the encroaching complexities of adulthood. Bamford discusses the dangers of nostalgia and how parents' unresolved issues can profoundly impact their children:

"Kids are very good at picking up on their parents' unhappiness... absorbing with very little ability to interpret what they're absorbing." [08:32]

The novel underscores the children’s perceptiveness and resilience as they navigate their familial and environmental challenges.

Atmospheric and Emotional Tone

The New England Gothic setting infuses the novel with a magical, spooky, and hazy quality that captures the essence of childhood adventures intertwined with underlying fears. Bamford emphasizes:

"Idle Grounds takes place completely in the daytime. But New England Gothic really deals with the fact that there's always a darkness bubbling underneath that kind of daylit adult world." [03:44]

This juxtaposition of light and darkness mirrors the children's journey from innocence to a more nuanced understanding of their world.

Conclusion

Christelle Bamford's Idle Grounds offers a compelling exploration of childhood amidst eerie New England landscapes. Through rich character development and a hauntingly atmospheric setting, the novel delves into themes of responsibility, family dynamics, and the loss of innocence. NPR's discussion with Bamford provides valuable insights into the novel's construction and its place within the New England Gothic tradition, making it a must-read for those seeking depth and intrigue in contemporary literature.

Notable Quotes

• Andrew Limbong: "Something I'm less familiar with is New England Gothic. And I'm not alone." [00:02]

• Christelle Bamford: "Old sins, innocence lost, light dimmed, and nightmares that may be real." [03:44]

• Aisha Roscoe: "It's filled with a kind of magical, spooky, hazy quality that I think is really specific to childhood." [02:47]

• Christelle Bamford: "Idle Grounds takes place completely in the daytime. But New England Gothic really deals with the fact that there's always a darkness bubbling underneath that kind of daylit adult world." [03:44]

• Aisha Roscoe: "Who is the narrator? Because the narrator is never named." [04:57]

• Christelle Bamford: "The narrator knows a lot and also understands nothing most of the time." [05:17]

• Christelle Bamford: "Kids are very good at picking up on their parents' unhappiness." [08:32]

Final Thoughts

Whether you're an avid reader looking to dive into a new genre or someone seeking a story that balances mystery with heartfelt character studies, Idle Grounds by Christelle Bamford is a captivating addition to your bookshelf. Tune into NPR's Book of the Day for more insightful discussions on the latest noteworthy books.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. I'm pretty familiar with the term Southern Gothic. Whether it's the work of Flannery O'Connor or the first season of that TV show True Detective, I understand the tropes and contours of the genre. Something I'm less familiar with is New England Gothic. And I'm not alone. Author Christelle Bamford wrote the new novel Idle Grounds. And it wasn't until later when she realized, huh, this book I'm writing fits into that New England Gothic category. It's a coming of age novel about these kids in the woods who encounter some spooky stuff that forces them to face adulthood. Bamford talks to NPR's Aisha Roscoe about what makes New England so eerie. After the break.

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[Aisha Roscoe]

As a kid those long summer days just running around wild with other kids while the adults were off having a adult conversations? In Christelle Bamford's new novel Idle Grounds, a family has gathered for a summer birthday and the young cousins are soon to be set loose. Here she is reading from the first pages of her book.

[Christelle Bamford]

We were all together, which everyone seemed to dread and anticipate in equal measure. Cousins stuck their legs out from car doors, always the children first, parents girding their loins behind the steering wheels. It's 11 now. We're out of here by three, our parents said, a fount of shaky determination. Three at the latest. Cousins eyed up, cousins standing a full cousin length away, giving a shy wave while the adults eased themselves out with a dish covered in tinfoil or a six pack of becks tinkling like a piggy bank. Bug spray was passed along. Hot dogs were sliced from their packaging. Hummingbirds appeared at the feeder, fed vanished.

[Aisha Roscoe]

In the novel, the day takes a turn when the smallest cousin disappears and the children come face to face with some grown up truths. Idyll Grounds is written by Christelle Bamford, who joins us now. Welcome.

[Christelle Bamford]

Hi Aisha. Thanks for having me.

[Aisha Roscoe]

This story Which I really, really enjoyed. It's filled with a kind of magical, spooky, hazy quality that I think is really specific to childhood. Because it's like, anything can happen. You're a little bit scared, but you're also a little bit excited. Do you know that feeling?

[Christelle Bamford]

I remember that feeling really well from childhood. I think my memory isn't very good as an adult, but it's great for when I was a kid. And the book is based in part on my own childhood in New England. Just kind of running around in the woods and making forts and coming home just in time for dinner. And I loved it. And I loved that sense of kind of making and remaking, like a child society every day with your pals.

[Aisha Roscoe]

And what is it like for the specific kids in this book? They're only about 20ft away from the house, but they are, like, in their own world completely.

[Christelle Bamford]

Yeah, that's right. So I think that the world of Idle Ground starts to get sinister. So because it's told by this group of kids, you're not entirely sure if it's their imagination at work or if there is something genuinely sinister kind of stalking them across the grounds. And I think. I think a little bit of the book is fitting into a New England Gothic mode. And that's very recent. I actually just was home in Salem, Massachusetts, and I saw a sign that described New England Gothic as old sins, innocence lost, light dimmed, and nightmares that may be real. And I was like, that is perfect. I'm going to steal that. That's exactly right. Basically, Idle Grounds takes place completely in the daytime. But New England Gothic really deals with the fact that there's always a darkness bubbling underneath that kind of daylit adult world. That's kind of how the story unfolds, is they're uncovering this mystery of their family's unhappiness. Basically, it's what the parents are all distracted by, talking out on the dick.

[Aisha Roscoe]

I asked you about this before we even started really recording, because this is because as I was reading this book, I was like, who is the narrator? Because the narrator is never named. Is it one of the children or is it the whole of the group? Because the way they talk, I'm like, who is the narrator?

[Christelle Bamford]

In a way, it's both. So at first you think it might just be a single child, and then it slides into kind of a Greek chorus voice. I really liked the fact that this narrator knows a lot and also understands nothing most of the time. I think that is really reflective of the way kids experience Reality. They're really intuitive, and they can really read the room. They can read emotions. And at the same time, they're operating with, like, a really limited instruction manual. So they have, like, lots of feelings and very few facts. This group voice was able to kind of encompass that.

[Aisha Roscoe]

Now we are introduced to a few of them by name. Tell us about Abby and Travis and Autumn and Owen. Why are they named?

[Christelle Bamford]

Yeah. So at the very beginning of the book, Abby and Travis are the golden children of the family. So Travis is the eldest child, which is always, obviously, a very revered position in child society. And he goes to a very fancy private school, and he's kind of like the bearer of the family's ambitions. And his little sister Abby, is the youngest of the tribe, and she's just adorable. And then Autumn and Owen, they're almost kind of perceived to be, like, weaker members of this child's society. But as the story progresses, we realize that they have their own inner resources that powers the group as it goes along and keeps them, or at least tries to keep them on the right course.

[Aisha Roscoe]

Owen finds these eggs, these chicken eggs, and he kind of adopts them, and he becomes the parent. What's going on there?

[Christelle Bamford]

Yeah, I love the eggs. They're maybe my favorite thing in the book. Hopefully the reader should be very nervous for those eggs and hope that at least one of them makes it through intact.

[Aisha Roscoe]

Yeah, very nervous about those eggs. And I should say my youngest daughter heard me talking about, you know, Owen and the eggs, and this little girl went to the fridge, and she got one of the eggs out the fridge, saying she wanted to have some eggs. And I said, you know how expensive this is? So this is very real. Children are fascinated by these eggs.

[Christelle Bamford]

Yeah, it's true. I think it might have come from a little boy that we know. He'd stolen an egg from the kitchen and hid it out in the grass, and they found it after it started to smell, and he'd just gotten his wires crossed, and he was trying to grow a new baby cousin. And I just thought there was something really lovely about that. And. And so I think for Owen, parenting the eggs is a way for him to strengthen himself. He becomes their protector. The book calls him the mother of these eggs, but he could equally be the father of these eggs.

[Aisha Roscoe]

I guess when you look at that, the children kind of taking on the adult roles. How do you look at this? Or what this story is trying to say about childhood, what it's trying to say about what it means to grow up.

[Christelle Bamford]

Yeah. I think the book thinks a lot about the dangers of nostalgia, of getting too caught up in sadnesses of the past to the point where it warps your present. And kids are really attuned to that. So I think kids are very good at picking up on their parents unhappiness. And I think parents often forget that their kids are listening and are absorbing and often absorbing with very little ability to interpret what they're absorbing. So I think that's what it looks at overall, that kind of dynamic.

[Aisha Roscoe]

That's Christelle Bamford. Her new novel is Idle Grounds. Thank you so much for joining us today.

[Christelle Bamford]

Thanks, Aisha.

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