The Cellar
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / General
3.5
Minette Walters
Chilling psychological suspense with “exceptional punch” from the Edgar Award–winning author of The Dark Room (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). It seems like a respectable British home, occupied by the Songolis, an upstanding family of African immigrants. But hidden within the cellar is Muna—a teenage girl who cooks for them, cleans for them, endures brutal abuse from them . . . and is powerless to escape. Then one day, the Songolis’ ten-year-old son fails to come home from school, and Scotland Yard arrives at the house to investigate. While they look into the boy’s disappearance, Muna must play the role of beloved daughter. She suddenly has a real bedroom, with sunlight, and real clothing to wear. But she must continue to keep quiet—and hide the fact that she has learned how to speak English. Even as the police are watching, her secret life of enslavement goes on. But Muna is hatching a plan—and her acts of rebellion and revenge will be more terrifying than this family could have imagined—in this dark, twisting tale that represents “contemporary crime writing at its absolute peak” (Val McDermid).
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More Details:
Author
Minette Walters
Pages
192
Publisher
Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
Published Date
2016-02-02
ISBN
0802190251 9780802190253
Community ReviewsSee all
"Spoilers between the red circle emojis, but the spoiler ends after the second!
Okay so I’m starting this off with this. I really enjoyed reading this book, I essentially read the entire thing in a day and I was hooked. After researching the author I’ve been told that a lot of her work is fantastic so I’ll have to check it out! Anyway, 🔴a lot of people found problems with the fact that the police never saw the secret cellar door however I understand that in order to tell the story, the book needs to have this fantacism to work, so I understand. While I’m not upset about that, I am kinda upset at the abrupt end. I feel as though no resolution was found and instead it was almost up to the reader. I know some enjoy that kind of book but it’s not for me 🔴 that’s the end of the spoilers, I will say this book contains modern day slavery and abuse, namely sexual abuse so do be aware of that, but otherwise I loved the premise of this book, I wasn’t expecting the turns or anything and there is one reveal which could be a twist to some but it fits right in, that it didn’t seem a surprise. Either way I totally recommend the book and if there were a better resolve at the end I’d have given it 5 stars!! "
Aruwyn Connor
