Keep It in the Family

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I really needed that epilogue, it did give the story some final grounding, complete with a shocking final twist! Keep It In The Family is a terrifying, convincing insight into nature versus nurture that is spellbinding and the most horrifying aspect is that the story is completely believable.I’ve been a big fan of Marrs’ books since I first read The One upon its release in 2017, and with every book he just gets better.

A note reads “This was the first of what turned out to be several stories about Minna and her unusual family”. From the first page I had shivers down my spine and was on the edge of my seat, full of anticipation at the promise of such a chilling tale. She is prepared to do anything to protect her family―but will the previous tenants stop her from discovering their secret? I thought this was an excellent technique because it gave me a chance to catch my breath and heightened the tension of the other narrative elements.I try to show that the battle through the chaos is worthwhile and can, at times, be seen as very funny.

The current day storyline is interspersed with chapters from the past which fill in blanks but also add a lot of flesh to the story and provide very important background information. Twice chosen as Children's Author of the Year in the British Book Awards, Anne Fine was also the first novelist to be honoured as Children's Laureate in the United Kingdom. By giving each of them a voice we are able to really get inside their minds and discover who they are.What’s so unnerving is that Keep It In The Family explores really positive themes like love, loyalty, the desire to protect the innocent, and, obviously, family relationships, but this is no joyous, uplifting read. Plagued by nightmares and struggling with motherhood, Mia becomes increasingly obsessed with the terrible crimes that happened in what was to be their new home. From Finn to Mia and Dave to Debbie each person is so complex, realistic and mesmerising that I almost felt tainted by reading about them, by their subtleties and by their actions, however evil or innocent they may be.