Is Flowers in the Attic a True Story? is a question that has puzzled readers for decades. The novel, written by V. C. Andrews, tells the story of four siblings who are locked in the attic of their wealthy grandmother’s house after the death of their father. The children are subjected to physical and psychological abuse, and they eventually die one by one.
While the novel is based on a true story, Andrews has said that she took liberties with the plot and characters. The real-life story is even more tragic than the novel. In 1965, a woman named Ruth Sallee was arrested for keeping her two children locked in a closet in her home. The children were severely malnourished and had been subjected to physical and psychological abuse. Sallee was convicted of child abuse and sentenced to prison.
