About the Book

The House We Grew Up In

The House We Grew Up In

Author: Lisa Jewell
Pages: 388
ISBN: 1476702993
Genre: Drama, Fiction
Publisher: Atria Books
Released: July 18, 2013

Rating:

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Synopsis

Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together every night. Their father is a sweet gangly man named Colin, who still looks like a teenager with floppy hair and owlish, round-framed glasses. Their mother is a beautiful hippy named Lorelei, who exists entirely in the moment. And she makes every moment sparkle in her children's lives.

Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they've never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in -- and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.

Told in gorgeous, insightful prose that delves deeply into the hearts and minds of its characters, The House We Grew Up In is the captivating story of one family's desire to restore long-forgotten peace and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.


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Our Review



Lisa Jewell has been a favorite of mine, and this book is no exception. What was once a happy family is now torn apart by tragedy that takes them years to heal and rebuild from. We follow each main character and their individual struggles throughout the timelines – with big emotional shocks to top it off. The story is as much heartbreaking as it is redeeming; covering topics like mental illness, hoarding, secrets, healing, family, and forgiveness. Emotionally, this could be a heavy read for some readers – but if you’re a Lisa Jewell fan… don’t miss it!

 

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