Marianne Perry's Blog - Posts Tagged "arson"
Sister of Mine by Laurie Petrou
Sister of Mine by Laurie Petrou
This is a psychological/domestic thriller about Penny Grayson and her three years younger sister, Hattie. Their father abandoned them and mother died from an unknown allergic reaction to a bee sting. Hattie was in the house and hence, this emerges an issue between the sisters.
Penny weds Buddy Collerfield. An abusive husband, he dies in a fire. The reader is led to believe it started by Penny but is challenged whether this true throughout the book. The secret as to what happened keeps the sisters together while tearing them apart.
The book is divided into three sections. It opens with a Prologue about the fire. As the sister at the scene is referred to as “she,” the mystery begins. Part One culminates in Penny giving birth to a boy; ostensibly a surrogate for Hattie who is unable to conceive. She believes this is a result of wrongful deeds committed. A teacher, Jameson Leung comes to town. Both have “relationships” with him and in time, Hattie and Jameson wed. He is the father of the child they name Elliot. Part Two concludes when Elliot is aged ten. The conclusion is a twist; plausible and compelling.
With respect to shortcomings, I felt the passage of time poorly conveyed and the ending, rushed.
Despite the above, the plot was riveting and the author’s phrasing of universal issues particularly noteworthy.
I cite some examples:
Ch. 4: Penny: “When something changes your life, you remember everything. The colours are brighter, the sounds louder, the emotions greater. And you keep those things, all the small things, in your memory, for years.”
Ch. 14: Penny: Dark Humour: “Funny thing about murdering your husband:you can never really make friends after that.”
Ch. 21: Penny: “It’s difficult to reinvent yourself. There are parts of you that won’t change: made of something hard like a bone that just won’t bend another way.”
Ch. 23: Penny: “But there was something. In the same way you can tell, sometimes, when someone is in a house, you can also feel it when they’ve gone.”
The novel captures the complicated sibling relationship of sisters. Penny and Hattie’s story and the larger issues the author addressed stayed with me long after I finished the final chapter. This is an unforgettable book. Thank you Laurie Petrou. (less)
This is a psychological/domestic thriller about Penny Grayson and her three years younger sister, Hattie. Their father abandoned them and mother died from an unknown allergic reaction to a bee sting. Hattie was in the house and hence, this emerges an issue between the sisters.
Penny weds Buddy Collerfield. An abusive husband, he dies in a fire. The reader is led to believe it started by Penny but is challenged whether this true throughout the book. The secret as to what happened keeps the sisters together while tearing them apart.
The book is divided into three sections. It opens with a Prologue about the fire. As the sister at the scene is referred to as “she,” the mystery begins. Part One culminates in Penny giving birth to a boy; ostensibly a surrogate for Hattie who is unable to conceive. She believes this is a result of wrongful deeds committed. A teacher, Jameson Leung comes to town. Both have “relationships” with him and in time, Hattie and Jameson wed. He is the father of the child they name Elliot. Part Two concludes when Elliot is aged ten. The conclusion is a twist; plausible and compelling.
With respect to shortcomings, I felt the passage of time poorly conveyed and the ending, rushed.
Despite the above, the plot was riveting and the author’s phrasing of universal issues particularly noteworthy.
I cite some examples:
Ch. 4: Penny: “When something changes your life, you remember everything. The colours are brighter, the sounds louder, the emotions greater. And you keep those things, all the small things, in your memory, for years.”
Ch. 14: Penny: Dark Humour: “Funny thing about murdering your husband:you can never really make friends after that.”
Ch. 21: Penny: “It’s difficult to reinvent yourself. There are parts of you that won’t change: made of something hard like a bone that just won’t bend another way.”
Ch. 23: Penny: “But there was something. In the same way you can tell, sometimes, when someone is in a house, you can also feel it when they’ve gone.”
The novel captures the complicated sibling relationship of sisters. Penny and Hattie’s story and the larger issues the author addressed stayed with me long after I finished the final chapter. This is an unforgettable book. Thank you Laurie Petrou. (less)
