How well do you know your family? A new Netflix drama mini-series might make you wonder. A Nearly Normal Family is the story of a perfectly normal family with a perfectly normal life plunged into a perfectly horrific situation.
Based on the critically acclaimed bestseller by Mattias Edvardsson, A Nearly Normal Family focuses on the Sandells: dad and priest Adam, mum and lawyer Ulrika, and their teenage daughter Stella. Their lives seem calm and suburban until suddenly Stella is arrested, accused of murder. How well do Adam and Ulrika know their daughter, and how far will they go to protect her?
It's safe to say that if you're a parent, this is going to be particularly intense. But it's not just about parenting: it's about the relationships we all have with our families, and the secrets that may hide behind closed doors.
What do we know about A Nearly Normal Family?
The novel was a hit with readers and critics alike. The New York Times recommended it as a summer must-read, praising how its "Rashomon-like prison of expectations and assumptions builds to a blunt-edged revelation, one where the ability to face danger and family without illusion comes from the least expected place." It added: "There is no room for existential angst about the angels of our better nature."
The Wall Street Journal called it a "tour de force", and CrimeByTheBook said that "Part domestic suspense, part courtroom drama, part Scandinavian noir, A Nearly Normal Family [is] wholly original and memorable".
The Netflix adaptation features Alexandra Karlsson Tyrefors in her debut role as the daughter Stella, with Lo Kuappi (Modus, Real Humans) as Ulrika and Björn Bengtsson (The Last Kingdom, Lust) as Adam. The director is Per Hanefjord (The Hidden Child).
All six episodes of A Nearly Normal Family will be available to stream from 24 November – we'll see if it makes it only our list of the best Netflix shows.
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