Flowers in the Attic (Dollanganger #1)

Goodreads described this book as "...the compelling story of a family's betrayal and heartbreak, love and revenge." Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews is more than that. It tells of how a person can be controlled by lust for money. It tells how a person, slave by the pleasures and luxuries of life, can forget those that really matter in her life. Selfishness, betrayal, heartbreak.

It was a case of tender, loving murder.

The four children had perfect lives. They lived in a golden family filled with happiness. But their father dies suddenly, their mother throws themselves on the mercy of her parents - who had disowned her long ago.

Their mother promised they would stay only long enough to inherit the fortune. But gradually she forgot how much she adored her family. Kept hidden in the airless attic, the children now lived alone except for fleeting visits from their mother. Visits that became increasing infrequent... and increasily deadly...

The story was told from the point of view of Catherine Dollanganger. A very effective way of telling the story because if it was told from the point of view of Christopher Dollanganger, I think the emotions would not have come out the same way.

She started telling their story from when they were little kids up to the time they escaped from their "prison".

The story is all about the Dollanganger family. Christopher and Corinne, the parents, and their four kids: Christopher (or Chris from hereon), Catherine (aka Cathy), Carrie and Cory (the twins). When Christopher died due to a vehicular accident, Corinne was left with nothing but her beauty, her penchant for pleasures in life, and her four kids who were totally dependent on her. She begged her parents who disowned her to embraced her back into the family. She was taken back but her kids were brought to the second floor room connected to the attic to hide.

Corinne and Christopher turned out to be very closely related. Christopher was Corinne's half-uncle. Her parents, being fanatical religious people, disowned her when they got married. When Corinne was taken back into her family, she conspired with her mother to hide the kids from her father so that she could work her charm and get her inheritance after all.

She promised her kids that their "imprisonment" would only be for a day. As soon as the father accepts the fact that Corinne had four kids from her marriage with Christopher, the kids would be able to go down the house and be free. Then that changed. Corinne promised them that as soon as her father dies, they would be out of the room fast. But days, weeks, months and it took over two years before they were able to set foot on the ground again. It took them that long before they found out that their mother and grandmother were slowly poisoning them with arsenic. The planned their escape but not before Cory, one of the twins died supposedly from pneumonia that they later realized to be arsenic poisoning. Weak and slowly dying, they resolved to get out of the house even if it meant fighting off their grandmother.

They were able to get out easily, though. Set free, they planned to go to Florida and forget about the attic they left behind.

My personal thoughts: When Cathy and Chris found the book about sexual positions (I presume the book to be Kama Sutra), it is already a hint that their mother has a very different personality than the one that she showed them over the years. And the way she couldn't look at the twins when she comes visit them... the obvious disregard for their well-being... the hesitation to share with them vital information on what's happening in her life outside... Obvious giveaways that the woman is evil just like her mother.

I cried when Chris and Cathy were whipped! I cried when the twins got sick. I cried when the grandmother ignored their Christmas gift. I cried when something happened between Chris and Cathy. How can they help themselves when they were shut out from the world? They were growing teens, with rampaging hormones, especially Chris. It's bound to happen especially as they were always left alone in the attic. My heart ached for them, most especially when Cory died and Carrie was asking to go to him.

My friend told me about this V.C. Andrews novel way back in early to mid-2000, if I am not mistaken. I wasn't overly excited about the book because it wasn't really explained to me except that my friend said that it's the first story she read with an incest relationship in it. Other than that, I knew nothing anymore.

And you know what? After Forbidden, I wasn't really that much excited to read about an incestuous relationship again. But when I read the blurb from Goodreads of this Dollanganger book series, I thought I need to read this one, at least start with the first book and then move on to the next if the Flowers in the Attic will turn out to be a good one.

And let me tell you, after finishing the book a few minutes ago, I can't wait to sink my teeth into the second book of the Dollanganger kids. Flowers in the Attic is one of the best compelling stories I've read. It will leave you questioning the evil lurking in the people around us. It will leave you questioning the love a mother has for her child and if money can really wield that much control over a person that you can turn your back on your very own flesh and blood.


***
Flowers in the Attic (Dollanganger #1) rating: 5 of 5 stars

Note: This post was a book review I did back in January 2, 2011 in my old Addicted to Reading blog.