Book Review- Lisa Jewell's The Family Remains

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for a copy of Lisa Jewell’s The Family Remains.

The Family Remains is a sequel to Jewell’s 2019 novel, The Family Upstairs. The first novel in the series ended without necessarily requiring a sequel, yet left many of the characters adrift after escaping a traumatizing situation. The Family Remains brings a sense of closure to their lives, allowing the characters time to rebuild and process. Although, of course the story is not so simple, as that would make for a very dull book!

In The Family Remains, siblings Lucy and Henry are faced with confronting their past, when Henry decided to track down an old friend. Henry is a mysterious character and it is unclear if unresolved childhood damage has turned him into a dangerous adult. Lucy, who has been living under a different identity and fears exposure, is compelled to risk her secrecy and fly to Chicago to find Henry. Exposure for the siblings is further risked when the body of a pop-star washes ashore on the Thames, a decades old murder that involves the siblings.

You do not need to have read The Family Upstairs to understand or enjoy The Family Remains. They are independent books. However, I feel that my experience of the sequel was enhanced by reading the first book. I wish I had read them back-to-back, as I had forgotten many details of The Family Upstairs Jewell does not often write sequels, but I was pleased that she decided to revisit these memorable characters and give them closure, especially Henry.

I’m a huge fan of Lisa Jewell and I have read most of her books. Although I enjoyed The Family Remains, I felt it was a little slower paced and not as engaging as her other books. Perhaps it was due to the necessary information drops to remind us of the events in The Family Upstairs. Also, the first book was very chilling and unexpected, while The Family Remains had less overall tension. It was more of a closure story than a straight-up mystery, which made me feel happy for the characters that I had grown to like, but also didn’t lends itself to the normal surprise of her other books.

One small thing that drove this California native crazy…Lucy’s family goes to burger chain In-and-Out during their visit to Chicago. This chain does not exist in Chicago! Because I knew this, it momentarily took me out of the story.

If you’re a fan, absolutely read The Family Remains. If you’re new to Jewell, read The Family Upstairs.

Book Review- Lisa Jewell's The Family Upstairs

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with a copy of Lisa Jewell’s latest novel, The Family Upstairs, in exchange for an honest review.

Libby Jones is living an ordinary life in London: she has a small flat, is looking for love, and works as a high-end kitchen designer. Everything is life as normal, until a bombshell is dropped on Libby twenty-fifth birthday. She is contacted by a solicitor, who informs her that her birth parents, whom she knows nothing about, set her up with a trust fund. The contents of the trust is a multi-million pound home in the posh Chelsea neighborhood. This home has been locked up for decades, ever since Libby’s parents were discovered dead with a third mystery man. Libby’s older brother and sister were never found, yet Libby was discovered in the mansion with the bodies, safe in her crib.

In trying to understand what happened to her biological family, Libby falls down a rabbit hole, eventually leading her to a news article written by Miller Roe. Miller spent years trying to uncover the truth and his obsession with the case cost him his marriage. His curiosity is rekindled when Libby contacts him and he agrees to work with her. The plot thickens when they realized that someone has been breaking into the Chelsea mansion.

The Family Upstairs is told from three alternating perspectives: Libby, Henry (Libby’s older brother), and Lucy, a single-mom who is desperately trying to make a life for her kids, while working as a street performer in France. In Henry’s narrative, we learn of life in the Chelsea house prior to Libby’s birth and how their parents transitioned from rich socialites to recluses who died next to a strange man, with most of their possessions missing.

As this is a mystery, I don’t want to give away any of the plot twists. The Family Upstairs is addictive and if I didn’t have other responsibilities, I easily would have read it in a single day, but as it was, it stretched into two. I’ve read several of Jewell’s books and she is brilliant at crafting quick-paced mysteries with unexpected twists. She writes characters that I care about and puts them in dangerous situations. I was especially worried for Lucy, who needs the help of her abusive ex-husband and is forced to be alone with him in his house. It is a tense situation!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the mansion. The Chelsea mansion is just as big of a character, as any of the humans in the story. Not only was it the site of multiple deaths, unsolved deaths, but it has sat abandoned for twenty-five years, leaving it dusty and in disrepair. Most of the belongings are long-gone, but Libby discovers small objects that remain, like bottles or old food. She also finds a boy’s name, Phin, carved into cabinets and drawers. The house creaks and moans when it moves. It’s is the quintessential haunted-house and a place that feels uncomfortable every time Libby enters it. Jewell teases out the truth of the house and the conclusion is shocking.

Go read The Family Upstairs. I finished it last night and I have already texted many friends to recommend it. Especially as we are all stuck indoors due to Coronavirus, this is a much needed escapist read. Jewell is a fabulous writer and I recommend all of her books.