By – Lisa Jewell
There are many things I like about Lisa’s writing. I like the characterisation she does, bringing fully rounded and believable people on the page. I love the plotting, always with an edge of sinister mystery that almost has me rushing to the end, but I stop myself and make time to take in my favourite part of her Books; the atmosphere. She is better than other authors I’ve read, creating time and place that leaps off pages and curls itself around mind, it’s both comforting and slightly edgy, but I’m always absolutely fully immersed in the book.
25 year old Libby can’t believe her luck when Libby discovers that she has inherited a mansion in Chelsea. The property was held in trust for her since she was a baby. Libby has no idea about her past secrets that are connected with it. The moment she stepped inside her home, she realised there is something very eerie about place. Soon the secrets of her past came back to haunt her.
The Family Upstairs steeped in Mystery. As Libby starts to learn about the past, my eagerness to find out about her family, and the cult, Grew. I wanted to know why she was the only who survived, when the rest (Family) were killed, and where her siblings were who disappeared. Libby teamed up with a journalist, Miller, to uncover what happened in the house years ago. He has earlier tried to find out the answers, but now that he has Libby on board, he feels that he is one step closer to getting to the truth.
The most chilling scene in the book was when Lisa Jewell took us back in time before Libby was born. It made it even more disturbing to think of Libby staying in the house where the dreadful things once happened. It made me think someone was watching her. The flashback scenes were filled with a strong sense of foreboding, especially when Libby’s family, first became acquainted with their new guests. You can see that there is something off here with them right from the start and I wanted to know what it was that they were planning.
Story is also told from another point of view by a character called Lucy. I connected with Lucy straight away, and you can’t help but feel sorry for her, as she was struggling to keep her family together. Lucy was living abroad, but she was desperate to get back to the UK. It was clear that she has to go to extreme lengths to achieve this goal, to ensure safe passage for her and her children, but what connection does she had with Libby?
The Family Upstairs is creepy right from the beginning. It kept me asking questions. I thought it culminated in a very satisfactory ending as well.
