The Family Upstairs

OK, let me get this out of my system… Oh my gosh this was the best fiction book I’ve read all year and holy crap I need to get my hands on Lisa Jewell’s backlist and yeah I basically read the whole thing in two sittings and WOW. So this is my first encounter with Jewell and I was absolutely hooked. I loved the multiple perspective device she used and how it all came together. So let me lay it out for you. Perspective 1 (3rd person): On Libby’s 25th birthday, she finds out she’s inherited a Chelsea mansion that’s been held in trust. She soon discovers the house has a dark history based on scant decades-old news coverage. Apparently there were three cult-related suicides, but 10 month old Libby was found unharmed and healthy within. What’s not to like about Libby? Her curiosity about why she was abandoned in the Chelsea house is natural because the events leading up to that left her an orphan without a past. She befriends a resourceful investigative journalist to help her dig up any clues that might help her figure out what happened. Perspective 2 (3rd person): Lucy is living hand-to-mouth in France when her phone reminds her that The Baby is 25. Without the means or identity, she has to resort to some pretty desperate acts in order to get back to England after 24 years. Lucy’s shiftiness and secrecy makes her suspect, but she clearly has her kids’ best interest at heart. And her dramatic encounter with her ex-husband totally floored me. Perspective 3 (1st person): Henry knows everything that happened in the house the last several years his family lived there. He knew why there were so many extra people living there, what happened to the once-opulent residence and its contents, and how and why people were found dead in black robes on the kitchen floor. Henry’s not the most reliable narrator, but as his story unfolded, the sense of desperation climaxed. The best thing about this book is the sinister, gothic atmosphere. As I learned more about all the house’s inhabitants and why Henry and his family were prisoners in their own mansion, I got a creepy Jim Jones vibe. But it was so well done, I loved every page of it (including the hilarious acid scene), and I am going to be insisting everyone (especially fans of Chevy Stevens) read this book!

I\’m still searching for the words for this review, so bare with me. I have read a couple books by this author in the past. I wasn\’t wow\’ed with them. However, like her previous books, everyone was talking about it. It was \”her best one yet\”. I decided to grab it and give it a chance since the hype isn\’t usually equal to the book in many cases for me. Let\’s just dive right in. This book is confusing at the best of times. There are too many characters to keep track of. We don\’t get to know all of them well, so it\’s really hard to keep track who is who and who\’s turn it is to tell their part of the story. I felt like I was caught in a twisting tunnel, trying to keep my balance while reading this book. On one hand, I\’m not sure what the point of this story was. On the other, I do get it. It\’s one of those books that leaves you scratching your head, wondering what it is you just read. Did it make complete sense? Are you happy with the outcome? What parts were truth, what parts weren\’t truth? Usually, these feelings and questions would indicate a book that I liked. A book that was so well written that I was still pondering it. That\’s not totally the case here. I was lost in a haze in so many parts, I\’m still experiencing said haze. And that is not indicative of me enjoying a book. My overall thoughts on this book are, meh. I think that this author\’s writing just isn\’t for me. She writes all over the place, probably intentionally to confuse you. The coming together in the end is a bit a of a mess. I just can\’t jive with the writing style. I guess I can see why many love it. I, unfortunately didn\’t.

This is a twisted and warped story, all coming together at the end. People who have opinions and thoughts of other people, all wrong, all disguised. There’s a few wolves in sheep’s clothing. A fabulous read. I think that Lisa Jewel has a great way to put onto paper how warped people are, and how good others are, deep into their pschie. It’s a read at one shot book. You won’t want to put it down.

Although I thought this is a crime suspense book, it has more to it with drama. It sinks you deep and read this quickly to find out what happens. She is a very good author who is capable to deliver a right length of a story.

4 – 4 1/2 stars. I have been waiting for this book to come out since it was first announced. Was so excited that it was coming out near my birthday in August only to find out that was the UK release and the US release was not until November. I can say though this book was worth the wait. It was great I loved it. The book was told from the POV of 3 characters. Libby: Who just turned 25 and when she arrives home from work has a letter she has been waiting for. She was adopted as an infant and will now learn who her real parents are. Not only does she find out who they are, but she also finds out that she is now very wealthy, as she has inherited her family\’s abandoned mansion. Libby also learns some news about her parents death, so she teams up with a reporter to uncover what really happened in that house all those years ago. Lucy: Is a single mother living in Paris but they are homeless. She gets an alert on her phone saying \”The baby is 25\” and is now determined to do anything to get back to London. Henry: His POV is told from him remembering the past and he was a little odd. But who can blame him, since He, his sister and parents were at one time very happy and wealthy, and then they let a stranger into their home and lost it all. I loved all these characters. and even the secondary characters. Everything just jumped off the page and I didn\’t want to stop reading. I just had to know how these 3 tied together. And I so did not figure things out until it was spelled out for me LOL If you are a fan of Lisa Jewell I highly recommend this book. And if you have never read her books, I highly recommend you start.

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