Honour Thy Father By Lesley Glaister – A Review

I know, I know, I’ve only just read and reviewed a Lesley Glaister novel, The Squeeze. BUT I’ve been sent on a Glaister binge and I’m dragging you lot along with me. Buckle up! I make no apologies for the amount of Glaister novels I’ve read and will read in the coming weeks.

On the back of one of her novels is a quote which hits the nail right on the head in terms of her forte:

Lesley Glaister specialises in domestic horror. Skeletons fairly rattle in her fictional cupboards.

And that describes Honour Thy Father perfectly, ‘domestic horror’. This book is only slight but boy oh boy does it pack a punch!

We meet 4 sisters Agatha (the eldest) Milly (who’s perspective the story is told from) and the young twins Ellen and Esther who are actually referred to as Ellenanesther because they are so close it’s as if they are one person. We have two timelines of narrative, the sisters childhood growing up in an isolated house on the Fens with their domineering, controlling father and their mother who they lose quite early on in their lives, and the present day. In the present day the four sisters are still living in the same house all together. However they have let the house go to pretty much rack and ruin and they have the addition of ‘George’ who they keep locked in the cellar.

Their childhood is a very lonely one due to their father expressly forbidding them to leave the house and make friends with anyone from the local village. Their father quite often goes away for long periods of time leaving them to fend for themselves. Woe betide them if he arrives back home unexpectedly and they are not there, or worse, they have any boys around at the house.

This isolation means that this family has some particularly horrific secrets to bear, which quite obviously have far reaching consequences into their adult life. They are bound together by the things they have done and kept hidden from the real world. A family loyalty keeping them all imprisoned in their old decrepit house.

This story has all the elements of a really creepy family saga. On old house, lies, death, creepy twins (who doesn’t love those!) and a fairly hefty secret hidden in their cellar. ‘Domestic Horror’ is probably my new favourite genre! (If there is one!)

If you enjoy a story which creeps inside your brain and makes you think ‘no, surely not?!’ Then you will love this. It gave me vibes of The Visitors by Catherine Burns, another crackin creepy read.

If you get the opportunity to get your hands on any of Lesley Glaister’s novels then do it! You won’t be disappointed. If you start with this one I guarantee you’ll go on a buying spree like I did.

If you’ve read any of her stuff let me know.

See you soon.

Bookish Chat xxx