When their father dies suddenly, Julie, Jack, Sue, and Tom, along with their mother cope with difficulty. The death is hardest on the mother who retreats to her bedroom. The four children essentially takes care of themselves, and their mother, the older ones, Julie and Jack, helping the younger children. When the mother dies after a long illness, Julie and Jack recognize that they will most likely be seperated and put into orphanages. In order to ensure that they stay together, they decide to continue to live in their own house and not tell anyone about their mother's death.
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They bury the body in the cellar, in a trunk full of cement, and look after themselves. But lack of supervision means that there are no rules. A power struggle develops between Jack and Julie, who are also coping with strong sexual tension between them. Sue retreats into books, and Tom seems regress and act like an infant. When Julie decides to bring someone from the outside word into their home, her new boyfriend, their terrible secrets are in danger of being discovered, and events reach a disturbing climax.
The review of this Book prepared by fran laniado
