Trouble Was

by Charlotte Edwardes

A powerfully evocative and tenderly realised debut novel about family secrets, the power of imagination - and coming of age in the dying dreams of the 1970s

1976. Nine-year-old Frank Dart dreams of his absent dad, away at sea; while making sure his mum's got all the cigarettes she needs for the long drive in their battered Citroën down to their new home in North Devon.

Here in Aunt Perry's house, Frank and his little sister Odette must make sense of their cousins' hostility – while their mum seems to drift further and further away. The house is haunted by secrets, past and present; and as spring turns to a suffocatingly hot summer, the past threatens to boil over and scald everything in its wake.

Trouble Was is a raw and tender story of growing up too soon, betrayal and resilience, love and survival – and a dazzling exploration of toxic family politics, buried secrets and the power of the imagination.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 2, 2026

Reviews

[Claire Fuller]

Who remembers the long hot summer of 1976? I was the same age as Frank (9), the main character in Trouble Was, and this novel brought back so many memories for me. But that's not the only reason I loved it - the writing is wonderful, and somehow Edwardes manages to give us just enough information to understand what is going on, even while Frank doesn't.
We first meet him in a car with his two younger siblings as his mother is driving them to his aunt's farmhouse in the West Country, and we learn that when his mother takes to her bed, it is up to Frank to look after Odette and Patrick. As adults, we understand what isn't explained to the child: the adultery, how his aunt doesn't want them there, and that the squalor they're living in isn't right. (There's a terrible scene where Frank brings a friend home who is disgusted by the things wriggling in the sink.) The story is slight and slow, which is how it should be, if you're spending time in a long hot summer.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unremittingly bleak,and not in a good way, if that makes sense.
It doesn´t work as a depiction of a woman with depression (post partum blues?)
It doesn´t work as "coming of age".
No background, references never fully developed (Ayahs, the uncle,etc)
An extra star for the writing, but overall, no.

[Sivvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written debut, capturing the subtle nostalgia of a 1970s childhood through the eyes of a troubled 9 year old boy navigating a dysfunctional family. As an adult reader, the underlying issues - mental illness, infidelity, social inequality, family politics - are clear but the author is adept at seeing these through the eyes of the children, and their innocent rationalisation of these challenges makes them all the more sympathetic. My only gripe is that, after an eloquent and atmospheric journey, the ending seemed very abrupt and slightly bolted-on. But otherwise a really strong debut which I devoured in one sitting.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

9781526698605 hardback exists but for unknown author

Abandoned because I can’t stand books where there’s no speech marks! This lack makes it extra hard to read as you often have to work out which is speech and which is prose. Do authors do this to try and pretend it’s a work of literature?

[Aishah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Children should be seen and not heard”
Anyone raised in that generation will probably recognise a lot in this book.

This was beautifully written and really cleverly done, but definitely not an easy or comfortable read. Seeing everything through the eyes of 7-year-old Frank made the whole story feel even more heartbreaking. He doesn’t truly understand or know what’s happening to him, his mum, or his siblings, and because he only has half the information, the gaps are filled with a need to please and make everything better.

Odette absolutely broke my heart. When Frank asks his mum if she loves them and she says yes, Odette asks, “but do you like us?” and honestly that question says everything.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but this is a dark and challenging read and I really felt for the children throughout. I didn’t feel much sympathy for the adults, but I don’t think you’re meant to. I can see this perspective not working for everyone, but for me it was a clever choice, as the reader you understand so much more than he does.

The ending came a little quicker than I expected, but I liked the contrast between the beginning and the end, it captured that feeling of one life-changing summer, the kind you remember forever.

(I received an advanced reader copy of Trouble Was by Charlotte Edwardes through NetGalley.)

[Dieuwke · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an ARC reader you never really know what you're gonna get, which is why I went by clues as to when the story is situated. We're talking blue eye shadow, a perfume of the early 1970's and bangles. There's constant smoking, inside cars, inside houses.

So we're in the 70s and see the story unfold through the eyes of Frank, the eldest of three. With a father supposedly away at sea, and a volatile mother, prone to laying in bed for days, Frank knows it's important to keep his mother happy. He can change nappies, light a cigarette, keep quiet, cook breakfast, strip the bed when his little sister wets it at night and what not.
What he can't do: please the cousins and his aunt that are now hosting them, make proper friends at school, conjure money to buy proper shoes, understand everything he overhears from neighbours/his aunt/his grandmother/ his mother.
What he must do: grow up and survive on the bare minimum

Raw and / but as we interpret the world through a young boys eyes, we understand a lot more than he does, yet, as a reader, I was left not understanding all the unspoken truths and half discovered secrets.


I received an eARC from NetGalley in return for my honest opinion.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the times that I did judge a book by its cover. I'm a librarian and was immediately drawn to this book. I love tales of woe and I was immersed into the story which was set in my own childhood years. I enjoyed being reminded of sweets, black and white tv and the shenanigans of school life. We all can relate to a dysfunctional family and the kid at school you had to feel sorry for. I thought the Author described the family situation very realistically.
I am not keen on no speech marks in books but I got used to it.
I have to deduct a star for the ending which disappointed me. It felt like I went through all the emotions (it really tugs at your heartstrings) for no real conclusion. For a debut novel though it was excellent.

[Anne McCormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Dart, together with his Mum and younger siblings Odette and Patrick are moving in with their relatives on a farm in Devon. They are endured rather than welcome and Frank with his small-chink-view of what is really happening, tries his outmost to fit in and make everything okay for his Mum.
Great depiction of a hot summer in 1970s Britain, of looking out for your siblings and of the cruelty children can inflict on each other.
Sadly, the rushed ending was a let-down to an otherwise remarkable debut.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, fantastic.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

[SJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

There should be trigger warning for this book. Heartbreaking

[Hilary Cockshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

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