The Cellar

Written by Minette Walters

Narrated by Justine Eyre

Muna's fortunes changed for the better on the day that Mr. and Mrs. Songoli's younger son failed to come home from school. Before then her bedroom was a dark windowless cellar, her activities confined to cooking and cleaning. She'd grown used to being maltreated by the Songoli family; to being a slave. She's never been outside, doesn't know how to read or write, and cannot speak English. At least that's what the Songoli's believe. But Muna is far#160;more clever#160;ndash; and her plans more terrifying ndash; than the Songolis, or anyone else, can ever imaginehellip;

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Feb 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781622319305

Minette Walters

Minette Walters is England’s bestselling female crime writer. She has written many novels, including The Ice House and The Scold's Bridle, and has won the CWA John Creasey Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award and two CWA Gold Daggers for Fiction. Minette Walters lives in Dorset with her husband and two children.

Reviews for The Cellar

[brookeott · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very interesting character study of a young girl who was kept as a slave in a basement in Britain. Her transition from an abused girl to one whose actions result in her being the aggressor and one whois in control produced some interesting feelings in this listener. Lines between the victim and the abusers became fluid and presented conflicting emotions.The reader did well on the dialogs in the book but had some distracting emphases on narrative cadences.

[joweirqt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's true that this was compulsively readable. Once I started I barely took a break till it was finished.

But did I enjoy it? Not really. It's not a happy story and contained some uncomfortable material.

But Ms Walters' talent continues and I await her next book with anticipation.

[terran_9 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Minette Walters is one author I always read so I put this on hold. It was as eerie and disturbing as her other books and took me by surprise as I progressed through it. A modern-day slave, Muna, was adopted from Africa by the Songoli family and moved with them to the UK. She was hidden away, abused and mistreated, until one of the family's natural sons disappeared. As disappearances continued, her position in the family improved and it became obvious that she was much more clever than her parents had given her credit for.

[kmjessica · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

wow great book. Read it in 4 hours

[kaethe_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Walters consistently creeps me out. In a good way. Like DeNiro in a 70s Scorsese film. Months, years after finishing one of her stories, the title alone will make you feel that you must go and wash your hands right now.

This book deals with modern international slavery. That's all you need to know. Psychological horror at its finest.



Library copy

[bookmarque · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a fan of Walters’s work I had this on my list at the library without reading the description. When I got home and read it I had my doubts about whether I’d get through it. The set up calls for extreme cruelty and revenge and if given without much detail I’m ok, but lengthy descriptions of torture and degradation and the pleasure the perpetrator got from it is something I can’t endure. Luckily I didn’t have to. Yes, Muna’s experiences are specific and terrible in the extreme, but that’s not the focus of the book. The idea is that monsters beget monsters. It’s kind of a riff on Cinderella, but without the prince or the fairy godmother. Muna is young and so completely uneducated that she is passed off as brain damaged by her abductors. When the youngest member of the family goes missing and the police are called, Muna is passed off as a daughter, not the slave she is. Still, the people who meet her have their doubts. Nothing comes of them, but Muna sets things in motion to get free of the cruel Master and Princess who abuse her and control her every minute and movement. Or so they think. As a revenge tale it works, but Muna isn’t entirely sympathetic. She’s manipulative, subversive, pitiless and violent. All things, as she keeps explaining, that her Master and Princess have created in her. She is a product of isolation, cruelty and fairly savage physical and mental abuse; what can they expect of her except the same? There is no noble aspiration here; she doesn’t want to punish, she wants to get rid of her “family” and live off the system as best as she can. It’s easy to understand, but hard to condone.The book reads quickly and is sufficiently alien to keep you off balance. The final ending though, the letter that comes last, I found awkward since it has no resolution and no upshot. I think things could have finished well enough without it.

[mrdoan72 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is creepy . But has a good storyline and the charactors are perty cool. I highly reccomend this book . You will love it

[oldbookswine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A strange but believable story. Young girl selected from an orphanage in London becomes member of family when youngest son disappears. Thought to be dumb, she shows superior thinking skills as she moves through the events of the disappearance .A Grimm Fairy tale quality is in the reading. Outstanding writing moves the reader through the daily life of Muna before and after the disappearance of the the youngest son. Walters is one of my favorite writers.

[kyurenka · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a riveting but disturbing story of an African girl kept as a slave by a family who moves to England. She has never learned to read, write or do math - but she is clever which the Songoli family do not realise. When she finally gets the opportunity to turn the tables on her captors, she does so. When one of the the sons disappears, Scotland Yard begins to investigate along with a social worker who questions Muna's position as a supposed daughter.

[krimisofa.com · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wer bei „Der Keller“ einen fulminanten Thriller erwartet, erwartet etwas falsches. Der Roman ist eher als Drama im Thrillermantel zu sehen, bei dem man lange nach Spannung suchen und sie doch nicht finden wird. Allzu schlecht ist das Buch trotzdem nicht, denn es ist interessant zu lesen, wie sich die vom Leben gebeutelte Muna, die einst von ihrer jetzigen „Prinzessin“ heimtückisch aus einem afrikanischen Waisenhaus entführt wurde, langsam emanzipiert und endlich leben darf. Und bei diesem Weg in die Freiheit begleitet man Muna, die so behandelt wird wie eine Natascha Kampusch dazumal, in einem dunklen Keller hausen muss und regelmäßig vom „Master“, wie der Hausherr Ebuka genannt wird, vergewaltigt wird. Nur dass die Geschichte von Muna mit der Zeit immer drastischer wird und in der nach und nach alle Familienmitglieder verschwinden.Die Dialoge in der hauseigenen Sprache Haussa, die darauf zurückschließen lassen, dass die Songolis vermutlich aus Nigeria kommen, werden nicht als solche gekennzeichnet, was auch bedeuten könnte, dass die Gespräche entweder gar nicht stattfinden oder nur in Munas Gedanken. Ganz nachvollziehbar ist diese nicht-Kennzeichnung jedenfalls nicht. Auch ist nicht nachvollziehbar, wieso Muna offensichtlich perfekt englisch spricht, obwohl im Buch mehrmals die Rede davon ist, dass sie lediglich wichtige Phrasen, die ihr bei einer Befreiung helfen sollen, mühsam in ihrem Verlies geübt hat. Das hätte die Autorin glaubwürdiger vermitteln können.Aber bei diesen Ungereimtheiten bleibt es ja leider nicht. Muna ist anscheinend ein sehr kluges Mädchen, okay, geschenkt, aber ein Smartphone perfekt bedienen zu können, nachdem man es nur einmal gesehen hat, sich eine 16-stellige Nummer zu merken, ohne Zahlen lesen zu können, sondern nur anhand der Bewegungen – das ist unmöglich und einfach nicht glaubwürdig. Dazu kommt, dass Muna mehrmals die Chance hat, ihre so lange im Keller geübten Hilferufe in die Tat umzusetzen, aber sie einfach nicht nutzt. Wieso nicht? Nur weil die Menschen nicht schwarz sind? Schwarze Menschen traktieren und vergewaltigen mich jahrelang und dann traue ich den Weißen nicht? Mir ist in der Situation doch scheißegal, ob die Leute Schwarz, Weiß, Violett der einarmig sind, ich will einfach nur weg von da! Dazu kommt, dass es quasi kein Ende gibt. Zwar liest man einen Brief der Nachbarin, die ab der Hälfte in die Geschichte einsteigt, aber was die Konsequenz daraus ist oder ob sie ihn überhaupt abschickt, bleibt offen.Dennoch: Auch wenn es ziemlich viele Ungereimtheiten gibt, ist „Der Keller“, wenn nicht gerade ein Thriller, dann doch eine interessante Sozialstudie mit interessanten, aber nicht unvorhersehbaren Ereignissen. Kann man lesen, muss man aber nicht gelesen haben. Warum dann trotzdem drei Sterne? Weil es nichtsdestotrotz gut zu lesen ist und der Charakter Muna ein sehr interessanter ist.

[vnesting-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A dark little tale of psychological suspense from a master of the genre, Minette Walters. A young girl is kept as a slave by the Songoli family. Muna is kept indoors at all times, not allowed to learn English, and is locked in the basement at night. But when one of their sons disappears and the police are called, the Songolis must treat the girl as a member of the family. As the family's troubles multiply, Muna's situation improves and soon the Songolis learn that the girl is far more clever than they imagined. This audiobook is narrated in a very matter-of-fact way that quietly but effectively conveys the horror of events as they unfold.I received a copy of this audiobook through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.

[tottman_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Cellar by Minette Walters is one of the best books I’ve read/listened to in the last year. Powerful, intense and devastating. Muna is stolen from an orphanage by an immigrant family and kept imprisoned in a home in the heart of London with a dark basement as a bedroom. Muna is a slave to the family who visits horrible abuse on her, physical, mental and sexual. Until the day the Songoli’s youngest son goes missing and the family is forced to treat Muna as a daughter, at least in front of the police. Every misfortune that befalls the Songoli family makes Muna’s life better.Muna’s “family” tells her that she is brain-damaged so often that they come to believe it themselves. But Muna is clever and observant and most of all patient. The story is narrated in a matter of fact tone that makes the evil that is perpetrated all the more devastating. Every time you are tempted to feel sorry for the Songoli family, you are reminded that they are despicable and beyond redemption. Investigation by Scotland Yard as well as the presence of a nosy neighbor prevent any return to the way things were for the Songoli family. Muna’s cautious, observant, patient and terrifying. The fact that she is no more or less than the family has made her is tragic and thrilling. This story will have you riveted from the opening line to the last and will linger with you for a long time. One of the best and most powerful books I’ve read in a long time. The narration of the audiobook by Justine Eyre is phenomenal. She perfectly captures the tone of the book and drives home every thrilling and horrifying moment. An award-worthy performance. Highly recommend.I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.

[dabofdarkness · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Songoli’s youngest son Abiola has failed to come home from school and Scotland Yard is investigating. That means that 14 year old Muna is treated like one of the family for the time being, instead of the slave she has been all these years. She now has her own bed room (instead of a mattress in the cellar), her own clothes (instead of a cast off tunic), and ribbons in her hair. The Songolis still treat her atrociously in private, but Muna is more clever than they know, and bright enough to be careful about revealing her smarts.This novella is pretty dark, containing a few twists, and definitely has a gripping tenseness to it. All the characters are flawed individuals and there are a few moments when some positive attributes of one or another character show through. Muna’s mother died when she was toddler and she spent some time at an orphanage before Yetunde Songoli, posing as her aunt, adopted her. Once Muna was brought home, she was made a servant for the family, doing the bulk of the cleaning and perhaps some of the cooking.Minette Walters paints a bleak life for Muna. She’s beaten regularly by Yetunde and her two sons and Abuka (Yetunde’s husband) regularly rapes her. Life sucks for her. Muna is told daily that she’s stupid and once the police get involved in Abiola’s disappearance, they are told that Muna has brain damage. While the Songolis use their native language (Hausa) at home, Muna has been quietly learning English by listening to the TV programs the Songolis watch at night. She quickly grasps that the Songolis are in a precarious position.While I really enjoyed the tension of the story, there were several small questions that went unanswered. For instance, Muna doesn’t know her numbers and yet it’s unclear how much of the cooking she does. If you do cooking with modern ovens and microwaves, then understanding numbers (to some extent) is part of that. Also, it’s never really clear why Yetunde decided the Songolis needed a slave to serve the household.This is definitely Muna’s tale. I felt a mix of strong feelings towards her and that added to my enjoyment of the story. However, I do have to say that she did have incredible luck in that everything really goes her way once she starts to realize that she has some power over her life. Still, I couldn’t help but be on her side for most of the book.Over all, it’s a chilling tale along the lines of ‘you get what you give’ for most of the characters. Muna is well written and fascinating because she didn’t always react the way I expected her to. While I had a few little outstanding questions by the end of the tale, it did hold my attention the entire way through.I received a copy at no cost from the publisher (via LibraryThing) in exchange for an honest review.The Narration: I know Justine Eyre’s narrating work from Gena Showalter’s books (the Alien Huntress series which is a mix of scifi and erotica) so I wasn’t sure if she would be a good fit for this book. I worried for nothing. Eyre was very good, giving a serious (and sometimes creepy) performance of the tale. I’m not very familiar with the Hausa accent, but I can say that Eyre kept it consistent throughout the book.

[charlottem_63 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Yikes this was scary!

[enemyanniemae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thank you to the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for the audiobook version of The Cellar. Minette Walters is a new-to-me author, but it this story is any indication of her talent as a writer, I will definitely seek her out again. This short book (only four discs long!) packs a repeated punch and most of those blows are unexpected. The book is sheer psychological horror and the narration is absolute genius. Justine Eyre brings every character to life with a mastery of voices and accents. Well written and well narrated. Recommended for the mystery buff who likes a psychological razor sharp edge to the story.

[shellys_70 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For six years, 14-year-old Muna has been a slave of Ebuka and Yetunde Songoli. Having two sons of their own, they claimed Muna from a West African orphanage, then emigrated to England. During her years with the Songolis, Muna suffered much abuse, physical and sexual, but when one of the Songolis' sons, Abiola, disappears, Muna's fortunes change for the better. To keep the police investigators from discovering their shameful secret, Yetunde claims Muna is their daughter and moves her from the cellar where she's been confined to live when she isn't cooking and cleaning for the family, into a spare bedroom upstairs. Yetunde claims the girl is brain damaged and doesn't speak English, but Muna is far more clever than the Songolis know. Muna has a full grasp of English and slowly realizes how much power she now has, power she uses to manipulate the Songolis in order to better her own position. As the family's fortunes continue to take a downward turn following Abiola's disappearance, Muna's improves. This novella is a bit of a change of pace for Walters, one of my favorite writers. Told in third person from Muna's pov, this isn't so much of a mystery as it is a psychological suspense story. It is also a disturbing one, and one I found compelling.

[liz1564 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Muna is small for her age. At fourteen, she is tiny, malnourished, but surprisingly strong. That is because Muna is a slave in 21st century England. Taken from an African orphanage by Yetunde Songoli and brought to England to serve the Songoli family, Muno has led a life that consisted of severe beatings, starvation, and repeated rapes. She can barely talk because she is expected to remain silent and when she has to communicate it is in the language of her native country. She is forced to sleep on a pallet in the cellar, never ever go outdoors, and call Yetunde “princess” and her husband Ebuka “master.” Even the two boys ten-year-old Abiola and thirteen-year-old Olubayo can beat her without any reprimand from their parents. Ebuka violently rapes her and his older son is ready to follow his father’s example.Then Muna’s life changes. When Abiola disappears on his way to school, the police become interested in the family. Yetunde moves the girl into a spare bedroom and has to pretend that Muna is a cherished daughter. The police seem to accept the story that Muna is brain-damaged as the reason she is not in school and is afraid of strangers. With the police around, there are no more beatings because bruises are dangerous. Muna, however, is not at all the dim wit the Songoli’s think she is. She has an almost photographic memory, has learned English from listening to the boys’ tutors, and begins to see a way to a better life. As the family has more and more tragedy heaped upon them, Muno manipulates the situation to her advantage.This is a taunt psychological novel which addresses the monstrous acts one person can inflict on another and the results when the victim of abuse retaliates in kind. Have the monsters turned Muna into one of their own? The reader must decide. I listened to the audiobook in two sessions and was totally involved in Muna’s story. This is another Walters novel where the rabbit strikes back to great effect.

[readafew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found the Cellar to be a strange mix of impressions. At first there is outrage at the treatment of Muna, a girl turned into a slave for the family. You want some revenge, comeuppance. But, by the end I was wondering if they got more than they deserved. Even if one agrees that Muna got her revenge, I still felt she had gone far enough that she needed to be restrained too. She was just as much of a monster as the family her turned her into it.Good writing and a decent mystery. It took me a bit to figure out what actually happened. Which is the sign of a good mystery. It's pretty dark, so be warned.