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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
A family tragedy in the past; some difficult scenes of mental health crisis
Language
Some
Moderate language
Sexual Content
Some
Adult romantic relationships; brief intimate content
Substance Use
Barely any
Moderate social drinking; hoarding behavior involves some substances
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Grief manifested as accumulation, the children of difficult parents, a family secret that explains everything
What this book is about
The Bird family returns to their childhood home in the Cotswolds to clear it out after a tragedy. Their mother Lorelei was a compulsive hoarder — every room a testament to things she could not let go. As the siblings sort through the wreckage, the story of what happened to their family unfolds across time. Lisa Jewell's deeply felt family saga examines hoarding as a response to grief, and the children who grew up making sense of a mother they couldn't reach.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
hoarding and mental illness as central subjects
family tragedy in backstory
sibling estrangement across years
Reader Verification
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