The House We Grew Up In - Lisa Jewell - Book Review

 

                There are quite many books sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I recently thought of reading this book expecting a suspense thriller or mystery story. But I did not expect what I had read.

                The Bird family has always been seemingly normal with four children - Meg, Beth and the twins Rory and Rhys. The father is a sweet man, but the mother is the main driving force of the family. The mother Lorelei has a habit of holding to each and every thing and the memories related to the same. One Easter, tragedy strikes and the family are devastated. The family and the members are scarred for life. Lorelei becomes a hoarder filling up the house fully. Eventually, the family moves apart from one another and Lorelei becomes a recluse. Something happens at the Bird family residence and the family converges again at the house where they might find the reason behind the tragedy that stuck them years back.

                What started as a mediocre read turned out to be a totally different topic as I went on reading. The initial setting and the buildup made me think of something like mystery solving. But then slowly and steadily it did touch upon a very important topic. The handful of characters were well written and their characters are etched brilliantly. None of the characters are perfect and each has their faults and misgivings. The reading was smooth but at times felt a bit stretched. Mental health was discussed in detail and the author has done ample research on the same to come up with this story. Insecurity, anxiety, depression and above all mainly hoarding. Hoarding is a rarely discussed topic in mental health. Through Lorelei, Lisa can portray the condition. As a person who has a hoarding habit; this was a very insightful read. When I reflect, I can also see how I have a problem of letting go of things and tend to hoard a special thing in particular. Kudos to the writer for taking up such a subject.

                This might not be the cup of tea for everyone as the reading can be engaging but slow. Also, do not expect a fast-paced mystery genre. As I mentioned an engaging read that points out a very important less discussed topic in society.