Marianne Perry's Blog - Posts Tagged "sisters"
The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
Do you suffer from parasomnia?
I read The Sleepwalker in two days. For several reasons, the story captured my attention. First of all, I knew scant about the sleep disorder, parasomnia and thought it unique to have Annalee Ahlberg, the mother and Lianna and Paige, her daughters afflicted with it.
The details of Annalee's disappearance and whether it murder, suicide or the result of parasomnia; her nuanced marriage to Warren and whether him an unfaithful spouse; the sister's dynamics and cloud as to Paige's parentage; plus Gavin Rikert, the detective and questionable character who'd a previous relationship with Annalee and then, Lianna combined to create a page-turning tale.
Structured in two parts with a twist of a resolution and an epilogue leaving the reader with a pit in his/her stomach, Chris Bohjalian has penned a compelling tale.
Marianne Perry
Author of The Inheritance
http://www.marianneperry.ca
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
I read The Sleepwalker in two days. For several reasons, the story captured my attention. First of all, I knew scant about the sleep disorder, parasomnia and thought it unique to have Annalee Ahlberg, the mother and Lianna and Paige, her daughters afflicted with it.
The details of Annalee's disappearance and whether it murder, suicide or the result of parasomnia; her nuanced marriage to Warren and whether him an unfaithful spouse; the sister's dynamics and cloud as to Paige's parentage; plus Gavin Rikert, the detective and questionable character who'd a previous relationship with Annalee and then, Lianna combined to create a page-turning tale.
Structured in two parts with a twist of a resolution and an epilogue leaving the reader with a pit in his/her stomach, Chris Bohjalian has penned a compelling tale.
Marianne Perry
Author of The Inheritance
http://www.marianneperry.ca
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
Book Comments: Under the Harrow
Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry is a mystery novel about the murder of Rachel Lawrence and the efforts of her younger sister, Nora to solve the crime. Nora takes the train from London to visit Rachel in her country home outside of Oxford. She discovers her sister plus the mutilated body of her dog, Fenno, whom Nora later learns Rachel bought for protection. Woven into Rachel's death is an assault she suffered 15 years ago when 17. Nora is wary of the local police and launches her own investigation. She stays at the local hotel and often crosses the line of acceptability muddling authorities' efforts as well as her own to bring her sister's killer to justice.
The slim book is organized into three sections, unfolds in short chapters and switches from present to past. At times it was difficult to understand the who, what and where of the story plus some of the descriptive passages tended to be tedious. For the most part, however, Flynn Berry's disjointed style reflects Nora's fragmented mind, mood fluctuations and roller coaster state of anxiety.
Berry also explores the love versus hate cycle in the sisters' relationship and their strained parental dynamics. As the plot unfolds and complications revealed, Nora comes to realize she knew little about the sister, the life she'd lived and the future she'd already set in motion. As such, it prompts the reader to reflect on his/her own familial relationships.
Under the Harrow ends quickly and the identity of Rachel's murderer is a twist. A little more reflection in the last chapters would have served a more satisfying conclusion. Nevertheless, this is a good read.
The slim book is organized into three sections, unfolds in short chapters and switches from present to past. At times it was difficult to understand the who, what and where of the story plus some of the descriptive passages tended to be tedious. For the most part, however, Flynn Berry's disjointed style reflects Nora's fragmented mind, mood fluctuations and roller coaster state of anxiety.
Berry also explores the love versus hate cycle in the sisters' relationship and their strained parental dynamics. As the plot unfolds and complications revealed, Nora comes to realize she knew little about the sister, the life she'd lived and the future she'd already set in motion. As such, it prompts the reader to reflect on his/her own familial relationships.
Under the Harrow ends quickly and the identity of Rachel's murderer is a twist. A little more reflection in the last chapters would have served a more satisfying conclusion. Nevertheless, this is a good read.
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)
