Lily's House

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As soon as I heard that Cassandra had a new book on the horizon, I just knew I had to read it. I adored her last book The Beach Hut so really was looking forward to getting my teeth into more of her work.
I think the cover of Lily’s House is stunning, kind of magical. The content, what can I say. Cassandras writing reminds me a little of Virginia Andrews ( Flowers in the Attic. etc) and this really is a compliment. I adore how the story pans out, how you meet the characters, yet they keep you on your toes. This is so well written, I couldn’t put it down over the weekend. This, I feel, will be a number One.

I rate this book 5/5

A gorgeously written story of a woman reconnecting with her memories of a beloved but long-estranged grandmother, and finding the strength to face the truths about the problems in her own present.

Jen, deaf since childhood, spent many summers with her grandmother Lily at her home at the English shore. They were idyllic times, when Jen could feel safe and relaxed after months in the tense home made by her parents. But shortly after Jen's marriage Lily did something which upset Jen so much she refused to see her again. Lily has left her estate to Jen, though, so she reluctantly leaves behind her insecure, unemployed musician husband and travels with her 12-year old daughter to settle Lily's affairs. Jen always thought her grandmother was something of a witch, seeming to have a second site into coming events, and she is dreading returning to this place of such happy memories. Given a cool reception by Lily's friends upon her arrival, she struggles to finish her business and get back home, but each day finds her less and less inclined to do so, and she begins having disturbing conversations in her head with her grandmother as well as dreams which point to huge upcoming changes for herself and her family.

The characters are carefully drawn, with the flow of signed, lip-read, and spoken language interwoven effectively to give a sense of the isolation and survival tactics of a deaf person. The language is fresh and evocative:

"Here is the key with the loop of plaited string that surely, surely cannot be the one I made for her, decades ago."

"All I wanted was to try on Lily's things. First the jewelry, which - jackdaw that I am - still calls to me with a siren song."

"Maybe by the time I'm old, I'll reminisce fondly about the days when everyone sat around in couch-potato silence and stared with their mouths open at the 'same program'." (This one mader me laugh out loud.)

The plot, filled with Jen's texts to and from her increasingly desperate husband, and alternating chapters filling in the past, pull the reader along to ever more layers of Jen's and Lily's pasts, with a wonderfully unexpected but perfect ending. So highly recommended!

I was taken by surprise by this bewitching story which is one of my favourite reads of this year. When Jen’s grandmother Lily dies, she travels to her house to sort things out, taking her daughter Marianne with her. Jen has not been there for many years and is met with a whirl of memories from the summers she spent there. Jen had a special connection to Lily, who she always suspected was a witch, with her premonitions, plants and potions.
This is a novel full of secrets, and things unspoken, with Jen re-framing all of her stories for her young daughter while holding back her true feelings. Lily is a strong presence and there are undercurrents the whole way through with things being revealed very carefully. This is such a measured and unexpected story about relationships and deception and things we keep buried, even from ourselves. I had no idea where the story was going but I was mesmerized by it.
The telling is beautiful. There is an ethereal quality to the writing that lures you in. I love the magical/supernatural element and anticipation of secrets and truth unfolding both in the present and the past. A fantastic read, I was caught up every minute in this dark clever story that is powerful in an understated way. I really loved Cassandra Parkin’s writing. Highly recommended!

A beautifully woven story which starts out as a story of a grandchild returning to her grandmothers house following her death but not is all as it seems.
Jen who is deaf has gone with her daughter to her grandmothers house in n Cornwall to sort out her funeral and estate.
Her husband Daniel who has not gone with them is continually texting her and would appear concerned and loving but is this the case.
Through flashbacks in her life it soon becomes evident that although there are happy memories there are also darker elements at play.
A real page turner that I could not put down.

Oh boy, I was not expecting that.

I thought Lily’s House was going to be quite light-hearted based on the simple title and rather pretty cover. I was lulled into false expectations.

Lily’s House ends up being much darker than I was prepared for. Brilliant but quite dark.

I loved the way the author handles Jen and her daughter’s grief about Lily’s death. This came across as quite realistic and is painful to read at times.

I liked the way the novel is structured interweaving current events as Jen sorts out her grandmother’s estate with flashbacks to the past of Jen’s life and memories of Lily.

I knew something was off about Jen’s husband Daniel from the start. His behaviour is obsessive and possessive, texting her constantly, wanting to know where she is every second, freaking out if he doesn’t hear from her for a few hours, always needing reassurance from her and making grand statements about how he couldn’t live without her. Some might see this as signs of how much he loves her but I found it disturbing. When the truth about their marriage is revealed I was gob-smacked.

I thought Lily’s House was brilliant.

Magical, secretive and addicting, you'll stay up all night unraveling the secrets that lay within Lily's House.