Christopher’s Diary: Secrets of Foxworth
Author: V.C. Andrews
Published: 2014
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
Christopher Dollanganger was fourteen when he and his younger siblings—Cathy and the twins, Cory and Carrie—were locked away in the attic of Foxworth Hall, prisoners of their mother’s greedy inheritance scheme.
For three years he kept hope alive for the sake of the others. But the shocking truth about how their ordeal affected him was always kept hidden—until now.
Years after Foxworth fell Kristin Masterwood’s father gets a contract to take the remnants of the great mansion down so that a new house can be built on the property, one not permeated by the wretched stories and memories left behind by the Foxworth and Dollanganger name. While going through the rubble, Kristin and her father happen across a metal box. Inside, a diary written by Christopher Dollanganger—one of the children locked up in the attic so long ago. Though told that she shouldn’t read it by her father, Kristin can’t help it. If anyone truly knew what really happened all that time ago it would be the eldest of the Dollanganger children. The more she reads the more she recedes into a life of seclusion, becoming obsessed with the children in the attic.
Eerie and disturbing books are interesting. They evoke discomfort in the sense that you know you should probably put the book down after your eyes have nearly fallen out of their sockets because they’re so wide, but you’re too far into it to do that. That is V.C. Andrews. Granted, Christopher’s Diary was done after her death, the discomfort of Flowers in the Attic follows through to these books.
Most of the book was told from the coziness of Kristin’s bedroom and the pages of Christopher’s diary. Both POVs were strikingly similar. (Too similar which is what drew me away from this a little bit.) With Kristin having lost her mom years ago and Christopher his father. Both seek to please the parents that still live. It was freaky.
So many memories came flying back from the first book, which was both nostalgic but also fresh. This was a tale as old as time brought to the present. Christopher’s reappearance was phenomenal. I could hear his voice so clearly, but I couldn’t get into Kristin. The way she ditched her friends for this obsession wasn’t believable. In fact, it was pushed too far in my opinion.
Christopher’s POV has never been divulged until now. I’ve always wondered how he reflected on the time in the attic. I found him to be the most put together during the traumatic event of staying in that attic. The connection between him and Kristin was intense; a deep crevice she fell down that grew darker and darker.
Overall
This was a quick read since it was just a reliving of Flowers in the Attic. Nothing more really stuck out for me. It was intriguing to see it through Christopher’s eyes. He’s a very smart character. I just couldn’t get into the rest of the story. It was nothing more than a growing obsession, but I found the paranoia of the the main character to be annoying. This wasn’t all that for me, sadly.
Quotables:
“Problem with the world today is everything in people’s lives is temporary.” (Kristin, p. 14)
“Was I deliberately looking for these resemblances between us, or were they simply there and too obvious to deny?” (Kristin. P. 103)
“All teenagers wanted to rush our lives, become old enough to do more and be more independent.” (Kristin, p. 284)
More to come soon…
-K.
P.S. Song today? Time After Time by Jessica Mauboy
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