When i first began reading this book, i must admit it took me a while to get into it, but when i was a few chapters in, the book hust grabbed hold of me and i couldnt put it down. The story line is so heartwrenching i finished the book within a few days and have read it a few times since as well.
It begins with Dollagher family. A beautifully formed family, where every member of the family was so beautiful it was unreal. They were all perfect with one another and all loved each other deeply.
One day there was a terrible car accident and the father died leaving the wife to look after the 4 children and a house se couldnt afford without any skills for her to earn money.
One day she takes her children to her parents house and tells them, to stay in the attic for the first night and the next day she will take them downstairs and show them the grand house and they will meet their grandparents.
The children stay in the attic room that first nite and were very upset with having to leave their many possessions at there old house along with their memories of their father. The room feels strange and scary and has stairs leading to an attic. They find theirselves exploring their new surroundings.
The next morning the grandmother comes into the room and brings them all breakfast on a tray. The mother also arrives and tells them that they must stay in the room a little bit longer, but it wont be for long.
Their mother did an unforgivable thing when she was young. She fell in love with her fathers younger half-brother. she couldn't resist this man she had fell in love with an so married him without her fathers permission and began a family that eventaully had 4 children.
The father, oblivious to any grandchilden that he might have, changed his will, so that if his daughter ever had any children with his half-brother, then his daughter would not get a penny.
Their mother visited them every day bring with her lots of love and affection. Over a period of about a year her visits slowly stopped at 1 visit maybe every month. The children were getting restless in their small room and decided to make the attic a beautiful colourful room with swings and painted butterflies stuck to the wall. The attic is a place they knew the evil grandmother did not like to go. They knew they could escape her here. She made the children stick to really strick rules...Be up and dressed by the time i bring breakfast with the bedroom spotless and the beds made... boys and girls must not share the same bed.....Boys and girls must not see each other getting dressed....You must not be loud, and the list just goes on.
Alltogether the time the children were in the attic room for was over 4 years. In this time the oldest girl and boy had grown into young adults, and were going through the puberty stage. Things got a bit out a hand and the 2 got a bit close and rape happened that nite.
The two younger twins were beginning to get sick. Well it isnt healthy growing up with out any sunlight and their health began to detoriate. Little did they know that their mother had been lacing their sugared doughnuts with arsonic, slowly poisoning them so they would become ill enough so they be taken out of the house one by one and away from their evil grandfather.
Her plan failed when one of the twins bacame very ill and eventually died in hospital. That was it for the other siblings. They began sneaking around the huge house and stealing money from their mother and her new husband (she had been depriving them of her attention and married a new husband that knew nothing of her children locked away in attic).
Once they had collected enough they hatched a plan to ascape and never return. They snuck down ropes they has attached to the side of the house and ran away across the country, until they came to transport and made their way across the county, well away from their prison they had lived in for the past 4 years.
They came across a kind mute lady on a bus and knew the children were ill. She promised to take them to a doctor and led them down a path until she came to a house. They followed her inside and was greeted by a doctor that was concerned about their health. He helped the children and made a deal that if they stay and help him with the chores they can stay their and get better. The childeen agreed and thre children began a beautiful relationship witht he kind doctor.
Im trying not to tell you too much information about this book. But it is absolutely amazing and i garrantee you wont want to put it down.
I must admit whilst reading this book i actually cried.