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51 pages 1 hour read

Natasha Preston

The Cellar

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2014

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Background

Genre Context: The Cellar as a Psychological Thriller

The psychological thriller (or psychological suspense) genre typically involves characters whose inner conflicts involve fear, obsession, guilt, desire, or other driving forces of behavior. The mood of psychological thrillers is chilling and unsettling, usually resulting from immoral or ominous character behaviors and “edgy” topics that reflect the darker sides of human nature. This genre often blends with crime fiction, especially when the antagonist subjects the protagonist to disturbing misconduct. The Cellar contributes to this blended genre of psychological thriller/crime fiction: Antagonist Clover’s behavior is rooted in the impact of his mother’s crimes, while Summer, the protagonist, experiences great emotional and psychological conflict during her imprisonment in Clover’s cellar.

In recent years, psychological thrillers such as The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl have been popular with readers, and many others in the genre enjoy bestseller status. While many psychological thrillers/crime novels are widely known in the adult realm, this genre is well represented in the young adult category as well. Several YA novels feature kidnappings or abductions or have other plot similarities to The Cellar. For example, in Lucy Christopher’s Stolen, a young man kidnaps 16-year-old Gemma and takes her to a new “home” in the Australian outback, out of reach of the outside world. This ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults work explores the gamut of Gemma’s emotions and trauma as she writes a letter to her captor. In April Henry’s Girl, Stolen, teen boy Griffin does not know 16-year-old Cheyanne is sleeping in the back of the car he steals, but he cannot let her go without repercussions—especially after his father decides to demand a ransom for Cheyanne. Like The Cellar, YA psychological thrillers such as these address complex character motivations and relationships in suspenseful and high-stakes situations.

Cultural Context: The Fear and Fascination Associated With Abduction

Abduction is a crime with dark consequences. Even when the survivor escapes or is found, the experience causes lasting trauma. As a topic of focus in fiction or narrative non-fiction, many writers, readers, true-crime enthusiasts, historians, and others recognize abduction as a conflict that propels intense emotions, power struggles, complex relationships, and suspenseful danger.

Legally, kidnapping and abduction are crimes with similar definitions involving a perpetrator taking a person without their consent and/or by force or deceitful means (e.g., pretending to be a helper or telling a child their parent is in the hospital). Kidnapping, however, often involves the associated crime of demanding ransom or another benefit in exchange for the person’s return. (Summer refers to her abduction throughout The Cellar as a kidnapping, but Clover never asks for a ransom; in fact, he never intends to set her or the other “Flowers” free. This indirectly characterizes Summer as innocent to the specifics of dark crimes like abduction.)

Historically, media and the public demonstrate a strong interest in kidnappings and abductions, along with their impact on family, community aftereffects, and any court cases that result. For example, the 1932 kidnapping of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s infant son and the consequent trial and execution of the man convicted of the crime are still studied; the executed man’s guilt is still debated. Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard, abducted at ages 14 and 11, respectively, and held by captors, were eventually rescued; they later wrote memoirs about their experiences. That these narratives became popular bestsellers attests to readers’ interest in the young women’s abductions and survival.

Finally, from a literary standpoint, the widespread popularity of fiction that addresses abduction and imprisonment, such as Emma Donoghue’s Room, also points to a social fascination with this dark topic. A protagonist’s loss of personal freedom creates significant tension in plotting, and their attempts to escape or survive create suspense that grips readers. Additionally, common themes such as Resilience in the Face of Dire Circumstances emerge as the texts encourage hope for the abductee.

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By Natasha Preston