The Woman Beyond the Attic

 

The Woman Beyond the Attic is the biography of VC Andrews written by Andrew Niederman. After reading Flowers in the Attic last year my interest in her life had peaked. Typically, I pick up a memoir if I am interested in the events of someone’s life, so stylistically a secondhand account of a celebrity is new for me.  As Niederman drew upon many letters VC Andrews wrote and interviews with family members, it still managed to dive into the details of her life with journalistic integrity.

Upon Andrews death there was a deficit in her taxes and her family hired a ghostwriter to continue writing in her name to cover the costs. Andrew Niederman, the author of this biography, became her ghostwriter. Niederman is a fitting choice for the exploration of Andrew’s life as he carried on her name in bookstores.

Andrews has a very fascinating story as she became wheelchair bound as a teenager and had a strained relationship with her mother, despite being in her constant care. Niederman goes into depth on how this may have influenced Andrew’s approach to her domestic horror novels.

He also dives into the way Andrew’s career had developed. A tidbit of information is that she originally wanted to publish under her name Virginia, however at the point in time that her first book released women were not associated with the horror genre. Using the name VC Andrews instead suggested that a man may have written it, therefore selling more books.

As I have become a fan of her work, I personally found it to be a very fascinating read. While some readers may find Niederman’s style to be rather dry, I appreciate how he focused on his source materials. 

I wished this book covered the story of her deficit in taxes as that does bring light to why her name lived beyond the stories that she personally penned. Although this omission may have been due to Niederman playing a role in this and it kept the emphasis on Andrew’s work.  

 However, the material this book includes sheds in depth understanding on VC Andrews life.  There are also some gems included in this book: An unfinished manuscript, a short story submission and some poetry. Anyone who wants to understand the woman behind the controversial books or who is a fan of VC Andrews work will want to give this book a chance. I know that after reading this book I am eager to read her work with my newfound knowledge of her life!