The Family Upstairs Summary
Lisa Jewell

The Family Upstairs Overview

Set predominantly in Chelsea (an affluent district in Southwest London, England), The Family Upstairs is a haunting suspense novel by Lisa Jewell that thrusts the reader into the fractured lives of Henry Lamb, Jr., his sister Lucy, and Libby. Upon her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby learns she has inherited a posh home called Cheyne Walk in Chelsea, but it has long been abandoned since her presumed birth parents died in a cult-related suicide. However, with the help of journalist Miller Roe, Libby soon learns that her family's demise at the hands of supposed cult leader David Thomsen is even darker than what was reported in the press. This richly psychological novel examines cult behavior (such as imprisonment, isolation, and the dominance of one individual over others) in conflict with freedom and expression of one's identity.