My next book review is one I'm super-excited to share, because it's official: I've found another favourite author. Should we have a ceremony? I met the lovely Louise Jensen at a Waterstones event in Milton Keynes (you may have seen me banging on about it) and when I heard her speak about her work, I knew I had to buy the book (we don't speak of the book-buying ban). I walked away with a shiny new signed book, knowing it was going to shoot to the top of my teetering TBR pile. And shoot to the top it did.
The Family is a thrilling page-turner, drenched in a dark sense of unease that builds and builds until it's all you can think about. The story follows three characters. Laura, a young mother who has just lost everything, including her husband, her home and her business. Tilly, her teenage daughter who is struggling to cope with the loss of her dad. And Alex, the owner of the retreat (cult!) that Laura and Tilly find themselves hopelessly trapped in.
The Family explores the intricacies of the mother-daughter relationship under extreme stress through short chapters that flit between each character, showing you both sides of the relationship, their different reactions and how they interpret things differently. How they perceive each other. Sometimes we see things through Alex's perspective, which adds mystery to the drama as it unfolds, layer by layer. Each chapter ends with its own little cliffhanger, which leaves you hungry for one more chapter.
When the story ends, when all those loose threads have woven themselves together to present to you a twist I doubt you'll see coming, you'll close that book and find you can think of little else for hours afterwards. Days.
The Family is a stunningly-written piece of thriller fiction, dark and disturbing yet with shimmering beauty in every sentence. You'll savour every word and enjoy the language as much as you enjoy the story. It's the kind of prose you want to roll around your mouth and taste every element of it.
I called Louise a sleep-thief on Twitter.
I meant it.
Get this on your Christmas list, and if any of my friends or family are reading this blog post, I'd like Louise's entire book collection please...
Let me know your thoughts in the comments or tweet me!
#WelcomeToTheFamily
Roxie Key
@RoxieAdelleKey
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