The Flower Family

Caroline Crowley

The Cellar

By: Natasha Preston

Do you ever get that feeling when you know someone’s eyes are on you when you’re not alone in a room? Everyone feels unsafe at times but the question is whether or not you actually are. Summer Robinson is your average teenager, goes out with her friends on the weekend, goes on dates with her adoring boyfriend and has a loving, supporting family. One night Summer walked to meet up with her friends like she did every weekend. She got to the club and realized one of her friends ran off. Not thinking too much of this Summer and her friends split up to find their missing friend, as she ventured away she found herself in a nearby park. Summer was approached by a stranger with an awfully unsettling grin. He kept calling her Lily and tried to lure her in closer. Summer thought he simply had her confused with someone else, as she approached him to help explain her name was not Lily he snatched her and threw her in the back of his van. Summer fought back as hard as she could and cried hysterically feeling absolutely devastated and powerless. What was going through his sick and twisted mind? His name was Clover and he brought her into his basement and introduced him to the other girls. Rose,Poppy, Violet and now Lily, a complete “family” for Clover. Clover truly believes he is helping the girls and protecting them from the evils of the world.

Natasha Preston’s, “The Cellar” is a thriller that makes you want to turn the page. Although I haven’t finished yet, I do plan on it. “The Cellar” does contain mature content and is not for all audiences. If the idea of kiddnapping turns your stomach I do not recommend this book. My entire life being kidnapped has been one of my biggest fears, which drove me to read this book because although it is scary, it is fascinating at the same time. The book spoke to me in many ways. After only the first few pages I could relate to Summer immediately. Other than being kidnapped, we seem to live very similar lives. This comparison makes her story all the worse...I couldn’t imagine if that were me. Being kiddnapped is unfortunately a potential problem for children and teens these days. Summer herself said “I felt invincible because I was naive enough to think bad things only happen to other people” (61). This is extremely true with teenagers today. We never think that it will be us yet everytime we turn on the news we see a new lost child. The way Summer’s family and friends reacted to her missing is similar to the way mine would.

I enjoyed the way the author wrote this book. Preston did a phenomenal job setting up her chapters and narrators. Throughout the book the narrator changes and we get to hear different perspectives of the story. It is better to get more than one because Summer can only think so much, it’s so cool how we get to hear what the kiddnapper (Clover) has to say and how her friends and family feel. There are also flashbacks which combined with different perspectives help us put all the pieces together. Through imagery and descriptive details, Natasha Preston is able to make me feel all types of emotions. As I read I feel more and more sorry for her boyfriend Lewis and her family. An example would be when Lewis’s mother tells him “Honey, you need to sleep more she frowned looking over the dark circles under my eyes” (78). In my head I am able to picture Lewis’s tired face and the whole melancholy vibe of the family. I want them to find her too, I feel like I am with them helping them find her. Not only do I feel badly for Summer’s friends and family but also Summer herself. At one moment she explains how her “heartbeat clashed behind my ears” (24). That line itself gave me anxiety and is better than Preston saying “she was scared” because that would be a boring book to read. Overall I have really enjoyed this book and plan on finishing it.