BOOK REVIEW: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

The Family Upstairs is a mesmerising,enthralling domestic drama/thriller about brother and sister Henry and Lucy Lamb and how swiftly their young lived descended into a living nightmare after two strangers moved into the opulent home in Chelsea that Henry and Lucy shared with their socialite mother and father. A nightmare that culminated with the death of three people and the discovery of a abandoned ten month old baby in the almost empty shell of a once loving family home.

It's also the story of Libby Jones and journalist Miller Roe's investigation into the people who lived at 16 Cheyne Walk after Libby is shocked when she receives a letter informing her that she has inherited the house. The story that they uncover is shocking,twisted and heart breaking and will change Libby's life forever.

The chapters flip back and forth in time and are voiced by Libby,Lucy and Henry in the present day and Henry in the past. The chapters covering Henry and Lucy's younger years were very dark at times and pulled at my heart strings more than once as the story unfolded. It was frighteningly scary how quickly their parents were coerced and manipulated by their sinister,twisted house guests. The characters were well rounded,vivid and diverse,many of them were flawed,some were likeable but quite a number of them were not so likeable for various reasons.

I love Lisa Jewell's books and The Family Upstairs is no exception. It is exceedingly well written,her words flow with ease,drawing the reader into her enthralling story and holding you captive throughout. Once I started this book,I honestly couldn't put it down,I was hooked in from the first page,totally captivated by the twists and turns as the story unfolded before my captivated eyes. It also raises the moral question,are a person's actions excusable depending on the circumstances?. Very,very highly recommended by little old me.

                                                           ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I've been here in one form or another for A Very Long Time Indeed. My first book, Ralph's Party, came out in 1998, when I was still a young person and when some of you may not yet have been born. Since then I have written and published another fourteen books, from the 'curry and flatmates' novels of the nineties and noughties like Thirtynothing, One Hit Wonder, A Friend of the Family and Vince & Joy, to more serious 'themed' novels like After The Party (marriage), The Making of Us (sperm donation) and The House We Grew Up In (hoarding) to my more recent domestic thrillers, like The Third Wife, The Girls, I Found You and Then She Was Gone.

I live in London with my husband, two daughters, two hairy cats, two nervous guinea pigs and a very lovely auburn dog. I write every day, a minimum of one thousand words, in a cafe, with no access to the internet, in two to three hour sessions. It's a very good life.

PUBLICATION DATE: 8th August 2019
PUBLISHER: Century
GENRE: Mystery/Thriller

PURCHASE LINK...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Upstairs-Lisa-Jewell/dp/1780899203/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19ZA7W9IUIHK6&keywords=the+family+upstairs+lisa+jewell&qid=1565302119&s=books&sprefix=The+family+%2Caps%2C181&sr=1-1