The Family Upstairs

Back at the Chelsea house, in 1990, Sally leaves after learning her husband, David, is cheating on her with Birdie. Once Sally is gone, Birdie moves into David’s room. Saddened over his mother’s departure, Phin becomes withdrawn from Henry. With Sally gone, the children are no longer homeschooled.

One day, Henry finds Justin in the garden and begins talking to him. Henry starts to get closer to Justin, because, as Henry explains, “with the departure of Sally and the mating of Birdie and David, not to mention my own parents’ becoming smaller and smaller shadows of their former selves, he seemed oddly like one of the more normal people in the house” (164). Henry asks Justin why he is still at the house now that Birdie is with David, and Justin suggests he is still in love with Birdie. Henry can understand this sentiment, thinking, “Although there was a large probability I might never get the chance to hold Phin’s hand again, or even have another meaningful conversation with him, that did not diminish my feelings for him” (165). Henry shares with Justin that he is freaked out by David and that he finds David sinister, and Justin agrees. Justin begins teaching Henry about the herbs and plants in his garden. Justin tells Henry, “I can grow anything out here. Virtually. Do you know what I mean?” (166). Finally, Henry asks if he can help Justin out with the garden and Justin agrees.

Henry tries not to think about David and Birdie’s relationship. David loves Birdie’s long hair, and one day, suggests to his daughter, Clemency, and Henry’s sister, that they grow their hair out long too. David and Birdie talk frequently about religion and the dangers of technology and pollution. Looking back, Henry observes that a concern for global warming is not abnormal in modern times, but “in the context of 1990, when the world was just waking up to all that modern technology and throwaway culture had to offer and embracing it, they were an aberration” (168). Birdie and David decide to get rid of their bedframe and sleep on a mattress on the floor, and make the others sleep on mattresses on the floor as well. Birdie and David make the others get rid of anything they disagree with, including “cars and aspirin and fish fingers” (169), and Henry feels as though Birdie “had unlocked something terrible in David and now she wanted David to control everything” (169).

Libby and Miller Roe continue to explore the house and find “I am Phin” written in other places, as well as musical-instrument strings, baby supplies, and books. They also find a gold ring, and after looking it up online, discover it is from 1975, the year of Henry and Martina Lamb’s marriage. Libby wears the ring, thinking it’s “Her mother’s ring” and “It fits her perfectly” (171). After a while, they bring cushions out into the lawn and sit, hidden, watching the house, to see if the intruder will come by tonight. After a while, they see a man cross the lawn, climb onto the roof, and go in through the trap door. Libby and Miller Roe aren’t sure what to do, but finally decide to go inside and confront the man. Inside, they hear the man using the bathroom. When he comes out, Libby’s first thought is that he is cute, clean-shaven, with trendy clothing. Libby and the man point at each other, and the man asks if she is Serenity. Libby nods and asks if he is Henry. The man says he is Phin. 

Henry’s mother loves Christmas, and during the Christmas of 1990, she hosts her regular celebration, though the celebration and gifts are much smaller than past years. Just before dinner, Henry’s father says he isn’t feeling well and has to lie down, and shortly afterward the family finds him on the floor having a stroke. Over the next several days, Henry Lamb recovers from his stroke, but as a result of his stroke he frequently uses the wrong words, appears vacant, or misunderstands jokes.

David and Birdie make rules for the house and write them on black marker on a poster in the kitchen. David adds to the rules frequently as necessary. The rules ban animal products, plastic, and require permission from David to leave or get haircuts, among many other limitations. During this time, Sally comes by the house once or twice a week to take her children, Phin and Clemency, out for tea. Sally is staying on a friend’s couch and searching for a new living arrangement for her family. After returning from time with his mother, Phin locks himself in his room and skips meals, angering David. Finally, David bans locked doors, and one day, drags Phin down from his room to the table and tries to force food into Phin’s mouth. David orders Phin to his room and, as Phin gets up, David hits Phin.

After this incident, Henry finds Phin in his room. Phin says he wants to run away. Henry asks if he should come with, and Phin says no. Phin packs a bag and insists Henry leave his room and not tell anyone about him running away. Phin sneaks out through the trap door in the attic.

Lucy, the children, and the dog leave the Blue House early in the morning. The group takes a series of trains across France, Lucy feeling “the stultifying fear at every stage, at every juncture” (185). Lucy worries that someone will find Michael’s body and come after her, but Lucy imagines that when Michael’s maid finds Michael’s body, she’ll tell the authorities “about Michael’s shady underworld connections, the rough-looking men who sometimes came to the door to discuss ‘business.’ She would lead them in an entirely different direction” (186). Finally, the family reaches a small town where they will take a ferry across the English Channel. As Lucy shows the inspector at the ferry port their fake passports, Lucy’s “heart beats so hard she imagines he can hear it” (186), but the inspector waves them through and the family is on the ferry, heading away from France and toward England.