Sadly, I forgot to write down where I first saw this book being talks about so I can’t give credit to the blogger/instagrammer who inspired me, but I have been in the mood for some fast-paced thrillers (especially after Those who Hunger) and The Family Upstairs totally fit the bill!

The Family Upstairs is one of those dual-timeline stories: In the present, Libby has turned twenty-five and received the news that she has inherited a house in Chelsea, possibly worth millions. The catch? This was the house where a suicide pact – possibly cult-related- took place, where children went missing, and where the only one who was found alive was Libby, a small baby lying in a cot. In the past, Henry charts the decline of his family, beginning with the day his mother’s friend, Birdie moves in. And there is a third story, of Lucy stuck in a foreign land and remembering a baby…

In most dual-timeline stories, one timeline is bound to be more interesting than the other, and unsurprisingly, it’s the story set in the past that’s more interesting. I mean, Henry’s story leads up to the truth behind all the dead bodies while Libby’s story is mostly her trying to uncover said truth. Lucy’s story, while extremely sad (warning: it deals with domestic abuse), was quite puzzling because I didn’t actually know why it was there until the end. That said, the pacing was pretty good and I never felt like Libby or Lucy’s chapters were draggy. In fact, I realised that they helped contribute to Henry’s characterisation and added a bit more thrill to the ending.

Although Libby is the character that we start the book with, I thought that Henry was the one who stole the show. He’s such an ambiguous character – I can’t decide if he’s good, bad, or somewhere in between? It’s probably the last option – I mean, he is human after all.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It’s a fast, twisty thriller that delves deep into how cults form and what they can do to children. It deals with some dark themes, like child and domestic abuse, so please be aware of that before reading.

Featured Image: Photo from Canva