Dollanganger #01 - Flowers in the Attic

Cleo Virginia Andrews (1923-1986), known as V.C. Andrews, was a commercial artist, illustrator, and portrait painter. In 1979 she struck literary gold when her first published novel, Flowers in the Attic, soared to the top of the bestseller lists just two weeks after its release. The book was adapted into a film by New World in 1987 and then again in 2014 by Lifetime. The novel spawned four sequels and spurred the author to write similar titles.

Corrine and her husband Christopher are living a tranquil suburban life in Pennsylvania in 1957. They have four children, Chris (14), Cathy (12), and twins Carrie and Cory (5). In the opening chapter of the book Christopher dies in a car wreck. Left penniless and struggling to pay the bills, Corrine makes a difficult choice to move her family back to her childhood home in Charlottesville, Virginia. But, it's a trip laced with danger, deceit, and deep scars. 

In later chapters readers learn that Corrine experienced a terrible childhood. Her father is a multi-millionaire and a Bible thumper. Corrine's mother is a physically abusive woman that instills rigorous discipline. Corrine was ousted from the family when she fell in love with Christopher. Returning to her childhood home means a reunion with her evil mother. The plan is for Corrine to establish a relationship with her father again so she can get back into the family's graces and, more importantly, the will. 

Corrine has never told her parents she has children. In an off-the-page meeting, Corrine and her mother agree to scurry the kids into the family's enormous mansion through a backdoor where they will secretly be tucked away into a bedroom that connects to the home's large attic. The idea is for this stay to be temporary with Corrine suggesting it could only be a night or two. Instead, the temporary stay evolves into a hellish three-year ordeal ripe with punishment, physical pain, and psychological torment.

Flowers in the Attic is told in first-person perspective from Cathy. She explains the day to day lifestyle the kids must endure as well as the changes that happen to each of them. Chris matures into a young man, Cathy reaches puberty, and the twins devolve into unhealthy children void of sunlight, proper diet, and vitamins. It's a road to ruin left to the reader to navigate through nearly 400 pages. The motivation to keep turning the pages is the idea that these kids may escape this horrible habitat. Additionally, the mystery involving what is actually happening with Corrine and her parents is just so compelling. I found myself consistently wondering just what is happening outside of the children's smothering residence while simultaneously finding the incest elements of the book truly disturbing.

The author tackles a number of domestic and social issues through the lives of these characters. The element of greed is presented in a way that it affects generations of people. This family tree has become so rotten despite possessing tremendous wealth and opportunity. The inclusion of incest is important as it demonstrates this ugly invasion into the sanctity of the innocent. The incest is symbolic for the greed affecting the family members – twisting and corrupting what should be wholesome. The idea of classes is expanded on here as well with the lower class scrounging for leftovers and morsels while surrounded by financial flourishes. Religion is presented in a negative way through “the grandmother” (name never given) and her insistence on quoting the Bible. The children, who initially are faithful, lose their faith through the dismissal of hope. 

Andrews was certainly a powerful storyteller and delivered a mesmerizing narrative with Flowers in the Attic. Despite terrible reviews at the time of publication the novel has inched its way into the upper echelons of all-time popular fiction. I enjoyed this very much and look forward to reading the sequel, Petals on the Wind. 

Get Flowers in the Attic HERE