The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

 

When Libby Jones turns 25, she discovers that she has inherited an abandoned house in Chelsea. Libby has always known she was adopted, but had been told her birth parents had both died in a car crash. Upon visiting the abandoned house, Libby learns that her parents were part of a cult and committed suicide in the house.

This novel spans two time periods and focuses on three groups of people. In our current time frame, we learn about Libby and her investigation of the house she has inherited and the people who lived there. We also meet Lucy, a divorcee, living in France with two young children. Lucy is struggling to survive and puts herself in a dangerous situation in order to get back to England. 

The other time frame is 25 years ago. We learn about the owners of the house in Chelsea, Henry and Martina Lamb, socialites who enjoy the finer things in life. Martina allows some strangers to temporarily live in the house, and over time, we see how these strangers take control of everyone in the house. I found this part of the story both fascinating and unsettling, the thought that someone could have so much control over others. It is also distressing to realise that adults and children could "disappear" and no one is concerned or questions what has happened to them.

As we reach the conclusion, we discover how the three story lines are connected. Even though the story reaches a satisfying conclusion, there are still unanswered questions. Thankfully, Lisa Jewell is about to release a sequel, The Family Remains, which will answer those questions.

Author Details

Lisa Jewell's first novel, Ralph’s Party, was published in 1999 and was the best-selling debut novel of the year. Since then she has published another twenty-three novels, most lately a number of dark psychological thrillers, including Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and None of This is True. Lisa is a number one New York Times and Sunday Times author who has sold over ten million books worldwide and been published in more than thirty languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two daughters, Daisy, a Romanian rescue dog, and a mad orange cat called Ivy.