Under the Stairs

I recently bought, and read, one of Mary Brady's books - "Under the Stairs".
I gather that it's meant for young adults, or older children... with particularly strong, and/or violent themes.



I found it very hard-hitting, with Mary managing to fit a large quantity into the small number of pages.
The text is nice and large (no squinting to peer at tiny type), although publication has been sparse if not non-existent for some time, with Amazon seemingly permanently out of their stocks of the book.... which could be a downside, if rarity means that the book becomes too costly to purchase eventually.

(^-^) There's one positive review for the book there on Amazon, so far, which I think gives a good little write-up :

Although this book appears in the Children's Books section, there's no reason why adults won't completely captivated by it - I know I was. Once I'd started reading, I couldn't put it down, laughing and crying all the way through to the end.
The story touches on child and animal abuse, which could be hard for children - and adults - to digest. However, it just as clearly shows the alternatives; a happy, vegan (!) family who lovingly take care of the victims of abuse, while having time for fun and games while they're at it. At the same time it moves like a rollercoaster; fast and moving the story keeps you in its grip up to the very last words. And if that is not enough, facts about animal abuse are cleverly woven into it all. Whether you are a child who likes animals or an adults who likes children, or animals or both, you will be moved by this book. If this doesn't move you, nothing will!!
~ Billy22~

In conclusion, I think that Mary is a very skilled writer, who crafts her stories well and develops interesting characters with realistic and convincing personalities. I feel that "Under the Stairs" has very hard-hitting themes, which many children would probably find quite alarming.
I found the ending very unsettling, and imagine that it must have caused a huge amount of controversy across the vegan interweb in its time.

Amazon Link -
Amazon - Under the Stairs

Firebird wrote:
I found it very hard-hitting, with Mary managing to fit a large quantity into the small number of pages.

Yes, definitely hits a lot of ideas without really any beating around the bush.

The text is nice and large (no squinting to peer at tiny type), although publication has been sparse if not non-existent for some time, with Amazon seemingly permanently out of their stocks of the book.... which could be a downside, if rarity means that the book becomes too costly to purchase eventually.

Yes, I had wanted to read it for many years (I knew Mary for many years) but couldn't find anything in the US. I finally just bought a UK copy. The shipping wasn't too bad. Still only 20 dollars.

In conclusion, I think that Mary is a very skilled writer, who crafts her stories well and develops interesting characters with realistic and convincing personalities. I feel that "Under the Stairs" has very hard-hitting themes, which many children would probably find quite alarming.
I found the ending very unsettling, and imagine that it must have caused a huge amount of controversy across the vegan interweb in its time.

Although it wasn't a cheesy Shamaylan(sp) surprise ending, the ending still was surprising. Mary though really wasn't just following any basic formula. It is a book of ideas. And well, the way she did the ending is also a very important idea. One worth trying to communicate to people.

I hope that she publishes more books in the future.