Review: That Hand Rocks the Cradle

Flowers in the Attic
Virginia Andrews
HarperCollins
2012 Edition
978-000-792787-6

Shall they clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?- Isaiah 45:9

In referencing this Bible scripture, you'd think Flowers in the Attic would be a wholesome tale of spiritual maturity. But if you've read the book or seen the film adaptations, you know that isn't true. Or is it? While the story is anything but wholesome, it follows the trials and maturation of the four Dollangager children reeling from a family bombshell that they will never recover from, a truth that will ultimately determine who they become.

In 1957 Pennsylvania, the Dollangangers are the typical well-to-do white family living in suburban bliss. Cathy, the story's narrator, is in love with her parents and three siblings. But all that changes when her father dies in a car accident. Now Corrine, the mother, and four children are left in a financial bind. She reveals to her children a shameful family secret: she and her late husband were actually uncle and niece. She moves her children back to her childhood home, Foxworth Hall,in Virginia. There she hopes to regain her father's love and be written back into his will after he banished her for committing incest with his younger brother. There, Corrine and the children live under the extremist conservative Christianity the Foxworth family prides themselves on, especially Corrine's mother, Olivia. She is the ultimate villain in gray. That is until Corrine herself begins to lose sight of her children with her return to riches and luxury. The two women seem to unknowingly work together to bring about the demise of the four Dollaganger children, faciliting the forbidden. The Foxworth family drama continues to unravels as the four children are locked in the attic for nearly three years, suffering loss and dignity while grappling with the emotions that come with evolving as a person and a sexual being.

Definitely melodramatic, this tale spins with ardent abandon at moments covering the minutia of a given day with what could be akin to a Southern drawl. But even with an outrageous storyline and sometimes unrealistic dialogue for pre-teens, the personal evolution of the characters is relatable. Questions of identity, gender politics, and one's own relationship to his or her maturing sexuality read true. The structure was succinct and the characterization strong. Flowers in the Attic will take you on a wild ride of emotions and probably leave you somewhat disturbed. But if you're looking for a family drama like no other, pick up this Virginia Andrews classic. Continue with the Dollanganger saga if you'd like. I will....

Join me on July 8th for the next installment, Petals in the Wind. I can't wait to share with you!