Flowers in the Attic

Flowers in the Attic is a 1979 novel by V.C. Andrews, deeply controversial because of its themes of incest, child abuse, neglect, and other taboo subjects. In 1987 it was made into a film starring Louise Fletcher, Victoria Tennant, Kristy Swanson, and Jeb Stuart Adams.

Related Topics:
V.C. Andrews - Incest - Child abuse - Neglect - 1987 - Louise Fletcher - Victoria Tennant - Kristy Swanson - Jeb Stuart Adams

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The plot of both the movie and the novel involves four children, Christopher, Cathy, and twins Cory and Carrie, who are locked away in an attic for four years by their widowed mother and their deeply religious grandmother. At first the children are assured that their captivity will only last a short time until their mother, disowned by her parents years earlier, works her way back into the good graces of her wealthy, dying father, but the children soon learn to fear their grandmother, who sets down harsh rules and terrible punishments. As time goes on, however, the mother visits her children more rarely and seems unconcerned about their failing health, while the grandmother's obsession with the children's "sin" grows more disturbing. Soon the mother ceases to visit her children altogether. Finally the elder children plan an escape, only to discover that their mother has remarried and moved away from the house where her children have been imprisoned. (The movie version differs slightly from this ending.)

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The most oft-remembered element of the novel is the sexual relationship that develops between an adolescent brother and sister, which has led to the novel's being banned in certain areas at different times.

Related Topics:
Sexual relationship - Banned

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