Review - Out of the Attic by V.C. Andrews

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The newest V.C. Andrews' book, Out of the Attic, was released last week from Gallery Books, which is the 10th book in the Dollanganger Saga/Family series that originally began in 1979 with Flowers in the Attic. That story involved four children being forced to live in an attic by a greedy mother and their crazy grandmother. Toss in a bit of incest into the mix, the novel turned became a bestseller despite being challenged by schools and libraries due to its dark themes. Three sequels were published before V.C. Andrews' death in 1986. A ghostwriter, Andrew Neiderman, was hired to finish writing the prequel novel, Garden of Shadows, and to continue the Casteel series, as well as penning all future V.C. Andrews' titles.

Out of the Attic is the sequel to last year's Beneath the Attic, which is another prequel to Flowers in the Attic. Beneath the Attic centered around the Dollanganger children's great-grandmother, Corrine Dixon, a spoiled young woman who seduces the wealthy, Garland Foxworth. The sequel finds Corrine now married to Garland shortly after finding out she was pregnant with his child, Malcolm. Garland is a very busy businessman and has to travel a lot for his work, which leaves Corrine at home in the Foxworth Hall bored out of her mind. Their relationship is far from perfect. They sleep in separate bedrooms with Corrine having the Swan Room to herself. And Malcolm is violently abusive.

To make a long story short, Corrine finds a cure for her troubled life by finding comfort in another man's embrace.

Final Thoughts

I loved the real V.C. Andrews' Gothic writing style, which is why I've been extremely critical of the recent slew of new titles by the ghostwriter, Andrew Neiderman. I didn't care much for Beneath the Attic (read my review here) because it was poorly written. I was hoping for the best for Out of the Attic but sadly, once again, there's no Gothic storytelling. There are many continuity issues, especially with Garland Foxworth, who is now a monster despite the fact he seemed to be a caring husband and father in the Garden of Shadows.

The story is told from Corrine's point-of-view, which was a horrible mistake as the character isn't likable. She comes across as a spoiled rich girl who isn't satisfied with anything. Corrine is written very blandly with no personality. The setting is in the late 1890s but she thinks and talks as if she was from modern times.

Bad writing?

Lazy writing?

You be the judge!

Overall, Out of the Attic is slightly worse than Beneath the Attic. It's poorly written with many historical errors. Andrew Neiderman should have done a bit of research before writing this series. Actually, he should have reread the Garden of Shadows, which was ghostwritten by him, and took a few notes beforehand.

Out of the Attic proves without a shadow of a doubt that a new ghostwriter is needed for future V.C. Andrews books. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen anytime soon. The final installment of the prequel trilogy, Shadows of Foxworth, will be published in June, and the delayed last chapter in the House of Secrets, titled Whispering Hearts, will be released in October.