The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

I have always been a little hit and miss when it comes to Lisa Jewell books but I thoroughly enjoyed her previous release and when I read the synopsis of The House We Grew Up In I was more than a little intrigued!

This is the story of the Bird family. Four siblings grew up in an idyllic settling in the country but one horrific event left the family in pieces. As each of the children come into adulthood it soon becomes clear that the devastating event has had a dramatic impact on each of their lives. The question is can they help each other to get their lives back on track or will the family be torn apart for ever?

This really was a superb read. It is a very deep and meaningful storyline that is so compelling it is impossible to put down. I did find it took me a long time to get comfortable with the layout of the book as it continually jumps not only between different characters points of views but also between the past and the present and just to add to the mix there is also Lorelei’s emails! Although it took a long time to get used to this layout it actually was perfect for this book as it allowed us to really get to know each of the characters and let us see their thoughts on the event that took place and also how it individually effected each of them.

The author has covered many issues in this book and she has weaved each of these issues beautifully around the main storyline.

The whole hoarding topic has always intrigued me and it was great to see both Lorelei’s thought process on this as well as the thoughts of her loved ones. The way the author manages to describe the sight and smell of the house is remarkable I almost felt as though I was there crawling through the mess.

Meg, Beth and Rory were all fabulous characters. Being part of such a dysfunctional family certainly had a dramatic effect on each of them and their emotions poured out through the pages.

This is certainly not an easy, carefree read but none the less it is a true page turner that will have you gripped and immersed in the storyline. I highly recommend this book.

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