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The clues point forward too to a brother and sister in Chicago searching for the only person who can make sense of their pasts.
Q: What most interested you in telling Rachel and Michael’s story? Were there elements you wanted to make sure you incorporated to highlight themes in the Lamb family story? DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. A year ago I listened to The Family Upstairs, the first book in the Family Upstairs series. The Family Remains is the second book (will there be more?) in the series and it's just as confusing, disturbing, and creepy as the first book. Of course it is, we still have some of the weird characters from the first book, going strong, and doing all their creepy things to other people. It’s been a few years since I read the first book, so I skimmed it to help refresh my memory. But, it turns out that was unnecessary because the author seamlessly summarizes it in the first few chapters. Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.
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THE AUTHOR: Lisa was born in London in 1968. Her mother was a secretary and her father was a textile agent and she was brought up in the northernmost reaches of London with her two younger sisters. She was educated at a Catholic girls’ Grammar school in Finchley. After leaving school at sixteen she spent two years at Barnet College doing an arts foundation course and then two years at Epsom School of Art & Design studying Fashion Illustration and Communication. This is the continuation of that story, and for those of you who felt like you needed to know "the rest of the story" about Henry, Lucy, Libby, and Phin, your wish is granted because this helps to flesh out and further their storylines so you know what happens to them in the present day. Michael Rimmer is a wealthy businessman and owns quite a few properties both in London and France. Rachel doubts taking a decision so fast but doesn’t ponder much over it, thinking that Michael is, after all, crazy about her. She knew that there was some Lucy to whom Michael was married previously but didn’t know much about the details. Michael’s Lucy is Lucy Lamb, Henry’s sister, who had lived in France for several years, and Marco is Lucy and Michael’s son. Lucy had to leave Michael because of the physical violence. Also, Michael actually worked as a middleman in the illegal drug business, which helped him earn a lot of money. All of this was not known to Rachel, and she saw the dark side of Michael on their honeymoon itself when suddenly, for very petty reasons, he refused to touch her any longer and later turned things around when confronted. In a matter of months, Rachel saw Michael turning into someone whom she had not known before marriage, and one night he ended up raping her while she was sleeping, making her walk out of the apartment at the first chance that she got.
A: I do not believe that Henry will ever be healed, no, and in the corners of my mind I see a dozen more adventures for Henry to have in various guises. He could be a real Tom Ripley if I were prepared to revisit him. I also do still believe he could kill again, in certain scenarios! But I think I will leave him there, in the corners of my mind. It is time to move on from Henry now. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Well, turns out Jewell had quite a bit left to say about the now-grown occupants of 16 Cheyne Walk.But those mysteries unfolded so slowly! The reason you’re so drawn into this sequel: your desire to find out what happened to those characters! This book is a CLOSURE! In my opinion, the way how things conclude is so fair! There are multiple timelines that are well defined and I felt such dread with the earlier timelines. As with the other book, there is physical, mental, and emotional abuse that is very distressing to read/hear. It was once we got away from the character of Henry that I really got into this story. I care so much for Lucy and her two clever kids. Marco is just the smartest thing and I loved his scenes. There are also new characters in this story that made an impression on me. At some point, I had to know what was going to happen despite all the disturbing things going on. This story won't appeal to everyone, just like the first book didn't appeal to everyone. But I enjoyed it and wouldn't mind seeing some of these characters again except that I know one of them remains as creepy and disturbing as ever. I remembered the first book mostly although the details eluded me until this book reminded me, very well, of what exactly had happened in the first book. Because this book does such a good job of going over past events, I can see how someone could read this book and understand what is going on, more or less. But I think that the story has more meaning if you do read the first book before you read this one. It's not a pretty story, bad things happened in the past and they are happening in this book, too.
I read The Family Upstairs more than three years ago, and unfortunately too much time has gone by. This is the reason why I don’t love reading series…I always forget the previous book by the time that the new one comes out. I did not have time to read the first book again before I got to the sequel, so please keep that in mind when reading my review.From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell comes an intricate and affecting novel about twisted marriages, fractured families, and deadly obsessions in this standalone sequel to the “brilliantly chilling” (Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author) The Family Upstairs . A: They certainly did! Especially Phin. I really had no handle on Phin at all. He was an absolutely enigma in the first book. In particular, I had no set idea about his sexuality. I had always sort of assumed that he was gay, but it wasn’t until I started to write the scenes in Chicago that I found my way to who he really was, and by the end he had surprised me. I think he needed to be less ambiguous than Henry, to balance out that slipperiness of his nemesis. He needed to be solid and absolutely at one with himself. I was excited to get to the last scene which I knew I would write from his point of view, and to be inside his head for the first and only time. I liked him very much, more than I expected to. Henry surprised me too, by not being as malevolent as I’d imagined he was going to be. But as I say, there's still potential for him to go darker! I'm definitely an outlier here, many people have loved this one. I've been a fan of Jewell's for a long time, but her last two books just haven't been all that great for me. Hopefully I'll like the next one better.
Were you surprised that Lucy helped the police find Henry in Chicago. Why do you think she helped them? Would Henry have done the same, if their roles were reversed?Do you agree with Justin that Henry is “Poor Henry” and that the Lamb children were “all victims. Whatever happened inside that house, none of them deserves to be punished for it” (340)? Cite examples as to why you do or do not believe Justin’s assessment. And as I told, the bones of a young woman found in Thames and another murder case in France may be linked to the Lamb siblings! A terrific and engrossing continuation of this fascinatingly creepy, mysterious and oddly entertaining family saga. It all starts with a bang: detective Samuel Owusu is called to a scene where thirty year old bones are discovered… these bones are connected to a case that has never been solved. There are three other intricately drawn “mysteries” within the story that connect the characters, and I don’t want to spoil that part. Detective Samuel Owusu finds a bag of bones floating in the Thames River. Forensic testing reveals that the bones are connected to a decades-old cold case that left three dead in a Chelsea mansion.
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