If you’re looking for a darn good suspense novel, The Family Upstairs is what you should be reading next, Tartlets.
The hauntingly engrossing story unfurls slowly, nudging the events of twenty-five years prior toward what’s being revealed in the present day. Suspense builds steadily, as well as a growing sense of horror at what allegedly took place in an upmarket house in affluent Chelsea, London. It plasters on layer upon layer of disturbing family dynamics, possible cult ties, mental and emotional abuse, and child neglect.
How, you wonder, could a story with all those horrible elements be so good?
That, dear reader, is the beauty of a Lisa Jewell novel. The world she creates in The Family Upstairs completely sucks you in with its high level of intrigue and its well-developed, multi-faceted characters.
The Family Upstairs is told through three points of view: Libby, a young woman who receives an unbelieveably rich inheritance on her 25th birthday from the parents she never met; a woman named Lucy, who’s barely managing to live on the streets with her two children; and an unnamed narrator who unwinds the long, tangled history of the house in which Libby was found abandoned as a baby.
Libby introduces you to the present-day timeline. It’s a good way to start because Libby is a) extremely likeable, and 2) in the very enviable position that so many of us hope to find ourselves in — inheriting around $8 million USD worth of property that changes the course of her life. Nevermind the fact that she also inherits one hell of a family history with it.
You feel incredibly sorry for the second narrator, Lucy, as you learn her story, but you’re also a little suspicious of her. The desire to figure out her motivations keeps the The Family Upstairs rolling along.
As for the mystery narrator — this one is the real kicker. I started off not really liking this POV very much; it’s pathetic and whiny. Eventually, it takes a dark turn toward the sinister that has you second-guessing what this one’s intentions really are…and how it will affect everyone else in the novel.
Eventually, the relationship between these characters becomes clear, though not in the way you’d expect when you first started reading The Family Upstairs. Jewell addds plenty of twists and turns every few chapters to keep you on your toes.
I raced through The Family Upstairs in a matter of days, going back to it at every spare moment to glean just a little more about that great big mansion on the Thames.
This is the second book I’ve read by Jewell (the first was The Girls in the Garden, years ago), and I’m still impressed by her ability to weave a fascinating, dark tale into something that’s extremely pleasant to read.
Have you read any of Jewell’s other novels? If so, which ones? I hope you’ll share below!
Love, love, love her! She is one of my favorites authors. I always enjoy reading her books!
She writes so many books, I can barely keep up! She’s great inspiration. <3
It seems like everyone I know is reading Lisa Jewell. I burned myself out on mystery and suspense novels a few years ago, but this sounds intriguing enough that I put it on request at my library.
Hi Trish! That happens to me, too, especially when I come across a run of just “meh” thrillers. Lisa Jewell is always a good choice, though! She lives up to the hype.