THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS- Lisa Jewell
THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS: psychological thriller that builds in an unsettling way as you turn the pages!
Set 25 years ago in Chelsea, London the police enter 16 Cheyne Walk, a mansion owned by the wealthy Lamb’s. What they discover is far more harrowing- 3 decomposing bodies, a note suggesting a cult suicide, a 10 month old baby that has been cared for and children rumoured missing. In the present, Libby Jones is celebrating her 25th birthday as a normal girl residing in a small flat and working to pay the bills selling kitchens while her adopted mother lives overseas. In a turn of events Libby is contacted and told she is the sole inheritor of 16 Cheyne Walk and along with this that her parents were not killed in an accident after all. In France, Lucy, a single mother playing the fiddle to make ends meet and feed her children, is living partially on the streets and struggling to keep her head above water. The story follows the three protagonists as the story unfolds including Libby who meets Miller Roe- a journalist who originally researched the story- as they attempt to search for answers and assemble the pieces.
As you can imagine this story with its multiple perspectives meant that it took a short while to orientate myself and understand who is who and the settings. Although this meant it was a little slower to read to start with so I could take in all the details, it is so cleverly written with each individuals viewpoint interwoven intricatly to slowly reveal the bigger picture. This made for an incredibly atmospheric, tense read that oozed mystery! Jewell masterfully juggles the characters perspectives so that it is a seamless read that flowed naturally. The characterisation, as with all her novels, was rich and well considered; all characters contributed to the storyline effectively with their own experiences bringing further questions that leaves you as a reader gripped and desperate to see how such a beautifully crafted plot unravels.
As expected, I adored this book as I have Jewell’s previous novels! I was fully invested and immersed in the rollercoaster ride of a thriller where as things get more peculiar you feel yourself sucked even further into the pages! This is one I will definitely be recommending!
This book was gifted by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.
5 stars
Set 25 years ago in Chelsea, London the police enter 16 Cheyne Walk, a mansion owned by the wealthy Lamb’s. What they discover is far more harrowing- 3 decomposing bodies, a note suggesting a cult suicide, a 10 month old baby that has been cared for and children rumoured missing. In the present, Libby Jones is celebrating her 25th birthday as a normal girl residing in a small flat and working to pay the bills selling kitchens while her adopted mother lives overseas. In a turn of events Libby is contacted and told she is the sole inheritor of 16 Cheyne Walk and along with this that her parents were not killed in an accident after all. In France, Lucy, a single mother playing the fiddle to make ends meet and feed her children, is living partially on the streets and struggling to keep her head above water. The story follows the three protagonists as the story unfolds including Libby who meets Miller Roe- a journalist who originally researched the story- as they attempt to search for answers and assemble the pieces.
As you can imagine this story with its multiple perspectives meant that it took a short while to orientate myself and understand who is who and the settings. Although this meant it was a little slower to read to start with so I could take in all the details, it is so cleverly written with each individuals viewpoint interwoven intricatly to slowly reveal the bigger picture. This made for an incredibly atmospheric, tense read that oozed mystery! Jewell masterfully juggles the characters perspectives so that it is a seamless read that flowed naturally. The characterisation, as with all her novels, was rich and well considered; all characters contributed to the storyline effectively with their own experiences bringing further questions that leaves you as a reader gripped and desperate to see how such a beautifully crafted plot unravels.
As expected, I adored this book as I have Jewell’s previous novels! I was fully invested and immersed in the rollercoaster ride of a thriller where as things get more peculiar you feel yourself sucked even further into the pages! This is one I will definitely be recommending!
This book was gifted by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.
5 stars
Comments
Post a Comment