The House We Grew Up In - Lisa Jewell

A Spoiler Free Bit About the Book

'The House We Grew Up In' follows the Bird family through their very different, very separate lives.  But when they were children they were so very close.  Until one Easter Day when disaster changes their lives forever.

'The House We Grew Up In' follows the characters from their childhoods until their adulthoods, switching from the past to the present to show the reader how everything has come together to bring them all back to the Bird House, the house they grew up in.


My Review

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.  It wasn't that it didn't sound good.  Everyone around me was telling me it was brilliant.  It was because I couldn't remember the last chick lit book I read.  (A check of the bookshelf confirms it was Cecelia Ahern's 'PS, I Love You' which I must of read in '10 or '11).  I'm not a huge fan of chick lit.  Too much pink, too many housewives.  Too predictable.  That's probably because I'm a reader of YA books which contain none of this.  So it takes a really special chick lit book to impress me.  And my god did this book impress me.

I loved the backwards and forwards from the past to the present.  The way we discover things about the family is perfect.  Every chapter we learn something new and understand their situation a little more.  The information is fed to us in such a way that we're always asking for more, but never bored because we've been given too little.

I also enjoyed that we got an insight into all the characters' thoughts and feelings.  As we follow the whole family, it's difficult to say who really is the protagonist of this story.  As the novel continues you feel more and more attached to the characters and end up wishing their lives had gone differently.

There was a lot going on in this novel and for that I was glad.  Each character had their own sub plot within the main plot of the book and I loved hearing about all of them.  I didn't find one sub plot to be tedious or boring, they each added to the story in their own way.

Because of the jumps between narrators, chronology and the way it was all put together, what more can I say but that this book was expertly crafted.


Evaluation

Plot Idea - 5/10 - I didn't expect the family's problems to be as intense as they truly were.

Way Plot Was Pursued - 7/10 - I loved the narrative and chronology jumps.

Characters - 6/10 - I liked them and cared for them but felt distanced by the style at times.

Style - 6/10 - I was immersed into the story but sometimes it felt a bit too reported.

Pace - 8/10 - the story moved on quickly as there was so much to cover.


Would I recommend it? - Yes.  More to women than men.

Would I look up the author? - No.  But I have been given another of Jewell's novels which I plan on reading once my 'to read' pile has decreased a bit.  Although this will not be this year!


'The House We Grew Up In' surprised me and reminded me to not always stick with what you know and try out new styles and genres every once in a while.


Anyone else been reading a new genre recently?  Let me know!

Molly Looby
Author / Wrimo / Reviewer / Editor / Writing Coach / ZA Ready

Contact me about writing, books, vampires, zombies, werewolves and the like here: molly.looby@hotmail.com