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A review by emmylamptey
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
This book was horribly boring, slow, and confusing. I read the whole thing, despite wanting to DNF every time I picked it up and it felt like such a chore to finish.
There was absolutely no appeal to this story for me. The “cult” aspect was underdeveloped, the cast of characters was extremely large and somewhat difficult to keep track of due to the differing timelines, and the story just seemed to simultaneously be too long and also left so much unanswered.
Perhaps this should have been a short story or novelette.
I *think* one of the narrators was unreliable since other characters discussed the events differently but I couldn’t even work that out by the end. I still am struggling to make out whether I actually understood the ending.
This book was a waste of time to read - I cannot believe it has earned a sequel. Do yourselves a favour and put this book back on the shelf and walk away, knowing your life is better for not having read this book filled with graphic descriptions of child abuse, rape (way too graphic), “consensual” adult-child relationships, and more.
There was absolutely no appeal to this story for me. The “cult” aspect was underdeveloped, the cast of characters was extremely large and somewhat difficult to keep track of due to the differing timelines, and the story just seemed to simultaneously be too long and also left so much unanswered.
Perhaps this should have been a short story or novelette.
I *think* one of the narrators was unreliable since other characters discussed the events differently but I couldn’t even work that out by the end. I still am struggling to make out whether I actually understood the ending.
This book was a waste of time to read - I cannot believe it has earned a sequel. Do yourselves a favour and put this book back on the shelf and walk away, knowing your life is better for not having read this book filled with graphic descriptions of child abuse, rape (way too graphic), “consensual” adult-child relationships, and more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Abortion