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The Lost Sister
The anticipated sophomore novel from the celebrated author of The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha, which Quill & Quire called “an exciting, memorable debut.” Partially inspired by the real-life experiences of a former resident of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children, The Lost Sister bravely explores the topics of child abuse, neglect, and abduction against a complex interplay of gender, race, and class dynamics.
Alisha and Diana are young sisters living at Jane and Finch, a Toronto suburb full of immigrants trying to build new lives in North America. Diana, the eldest, is the light of the little family, the one Alisha longs to emulate more than anyone else. But when Diana doesn’t come home one night and her body is discovered in the woods, Alisha becomes haunted. She thinks she knows who did it, but can’t tell anyone about it.
Unable to handle the loss of their daughter and unaware of Alisha’s secret guilt, the family unravels. It’s only through an unusual friendship with Paula, an older woman who volunteers at her school, that Alisha finds reprieve. Once an orphan in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children and estranged from her own sister, Paula helps Alisha understand that the chance for redemption and peace only comes with facing difficult truths.
Alisha and Diana are young sisters living at Jane and Finch, a Toronto suburb full of immigrants trying to build new lives in North America. Diana, the eldest, is the light of the little family, the one Alisha longs to emulate more than anyone else. But when Diana doesn’t come home one night and her body is discovered in the woods, Alisha becomes haunted. She thinks she knows who did it, but can’t tell anyone about it.
Unable to handle the loss of their daughter and unaware of Alisha’s secret guilt, the family unravels. It’s only through an unusual friendship with Paula, an older woman who volunteers at her school, that Alisha finds reprieve. Once an orphan in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children and estranged from her own sister, Paula helps Alisha understand that the chance for redemption and peace only comes with facing difficult truths.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2019
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432 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 31, 2019
Don't pick-up The Lost Sister if you are looking for a light fluffy read. This is an intense, honest and emotional reflection on losing a family member, racism, child abuse, and residential schools. For those not familiar, residential schools were situations in the past where the Canadian government forced parents (often of colour, native descent, or Russian ancestry) to give up their children to government run facilities (called schools but they were more like jails). Where children were taught to forget their culture, language and traditions; and encouraged to adhere to more 'Western' conventions.
Plot
The overall plot of The Lost Sister isn't anything new in the mystery genre. A little girl goes missing and we follow the story via the eyes of her sister. Lucky for our lead girl she has an influence in her life that is helpful. A woman who, attended a residential school as a child, and is estranged from her own sister. Thus we are provided with a connection between two histories and taken on a journey of healing.
I foolishly didn't make the connection between our two stories until about 35% into the book. Knowing there is an eventual connection won't spoil anything for you as the book is more focused on the trauma and emotions of the characters than the actual plot events themselves.
Women
At its core The Lost Sister is really about women. Be it young girls, teens, adults or elderly women. There is a constant cultural attitude (at least in North America) that pits women against one another. As though we are supposed to be constantly competing with our own gender to be bigger and better. I'm not sure why this exists exactly (maybe men thought it would be a good way to distract women if they fought amoungst themselves?) but it's clear to me in my life in Canada that this socialized behaviour for competition between girls is inherent. Andrea Gunraj does an excellent job of bringing this competitive culture forward and discussing it in an open and honest way. She gives us genuine emotions, comments and events that women encounter and tries to offer alternatives to fighting one another. If nothing else this book does try to breakdown the silos of racism, culture, religion, ethnicity and gender; in an attempt to remind us all that we are essentially the same inside. We all have physiology and biology that are comparable and so it makes no sense to pick on one another's subtle differences. Especially in a world already so full of hate.
Sisterhood vs Motherhood
Gunraj spends a lot of time during the residential school timeline looking at the difference between a sister and a mother. So often older siblings become parental like figures (especially in the absence of parents). I myself am the oldest of three and can confess that there were many days as a child/teen where I felt like I needed to step up and be more of a parent than a sibling to my own sister and brother. This complex relationship often turns sour as the siblings get older. The Lost Sister demonstrates this very effectively and Gunraj focuses on the decisions made by the sibling and how they affected the younger sister. Consider how different things had been if your sibling had only done XYZ instead of ABC... this is the core question The Lost Sister asks the reader and it brings up many challenging emotions and ideas/questions of blame. Of course ultimately blame doesn't change the past and while not a 'satisfying' ending, The Lost Sister does wrap things up in a way that allow the reader to have grown in their consideration towards why others may make the decisions they do.
Overall
This is not a pleasant read. But it's an important one. If you want to understand a little more about residential schools in Maritime Canada, or the challenges women have faced (from a very young age) in certain historical circumstances The Lost Sister is a good place to start. By no means will any of us ever be able to comprehend the extent of the injury done by residential schools; but at least by knowing it's history we have a chance of not repeating the same mistake. Instead, let us recognize that one another are both the same and different in our own unique and special way. If nothing else Gunraj has set a stage for further discussion amoungst readers about this embarrassing but important piece of Canada's history.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Plot
The overall plot of The Lost Sister isn't anything new in the mystery genre. A little girl goes missing and we follow the story via the eyes of her sister. Lucky for our lead girl she has an influence in her life that is helpful. A woman who, attended a residential school as a child, and is estranged from her own sister. Thus we are provided with a connection between two histories and taken on a journey of healing.
I foolishly didn't make the connection between our two stories until about 35% into the book. Knowing there is an eventual connection won't spoil anything for you as the book is more focused on the trauma and emotions of the characters than the actual plot events themselves.
Women
At its core The Lost Sister is really about women. Be it young girls, teens, adults or elderly women. There is a constant cultural attitude (at least in North America) that pits women against one another. As though we are supposed to be constantly competing with our own gender to be bigger and better. I'm not sure why this exists exactly (maybe men thought it would be a good way to distract women if they fought amoungst themselves?) but it's clear to me in my life in Canada that this socialized behaviour for competition between girls is inherent. Andrea Gunraj does an excellent job of bringing this competitive culture forward and discussing it in an open and honest way. She gives us genuine emotions, comments and events that women encounter and tries to offer alternatives to fighting one another. If nothing else this book does try to breakdown the silos of racism, culture, religion, ethnicity and gender; in an attempt to remind us all that we are essentially the same inside. We all have physiology and biology that are comparable and so it makes no sense to pick on one another's subtle differences. Especially in a world already so full of hate.
Sisterhood vs Motherhood
Gunraj spends a lot of time during the residential school timeline looking at the difference between a sister and a mother. So often older siblings become parental like figures (especially in the absence of parents). I myself am the oldest of three and can confess that there were many days as a child/teen where I felt like I needed to step up and be more of a parent than a sibling to my own sister and brother. This complex relationship often turns sour as the siblings get older. The Lost Sister demonstrates this very effectively and Gunraj focuses on the decisions made by the sibling and how they affected the younger sister. Consider how different things had been if your sibling had only done XYZ instead of ABC... this is the core question The Lost Sister asks the reader and it brings up many challenging emotions and ideas/questions of blame. Of course ultimately blame doesn't change the past and while not a 'satisfying' ending, The Lost Sister does wrap things up in a way that allow the reader to have grown in their consideration towards why others may make the decisions they do.
Overall
This is not a pleasant read. But it's an important one. If you want to understand a little more about residential schools in Maritime Canada, or the challenges women have faced (from a very young age) in certain historical circumstances The Lost Sister is a good place to start. By no means will any of us ever be able to comprehend the extent of the injury done by residential schools; but at least by knowing it's history we have a chance of not repeating the same mistake. Instead, let us recognize that one another are both the same and different in our own unique and special way. If nothing else Gunraj has set a stage for further discussion amoungst readers about this embarrassing but important piece of Canada's history.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
December 22, 2019
3.5 Stars
There is much to admire in this emotional, well- written novel. It explores themes of institutional abuse, racism, family dynamics, abduction, unbearable loss, grief and guilt with the hope for forgiveness, resilience, and redemption. The story involves two different pairs of sisters. One beginning in Nova Scotia in 1938, and the other set mainly in Toronto from the 1990s to the present. Although the author managed to unite characters from both stories, its structure lowered its impact for me. I thought having the stories told in two separate books would have made it more compelling. In the case of the modern story, it kept switching from before a tragedy in 1998 to after, and then back and forth again. I wished this part of the story followed a more linear narrative.
The proceeds of the book will go to help the survivors and their families who were forced to live in an institution for Black children. Paula and her younger sister were placed in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children and remained there for years. It was founded in 1921 and became an institution for children of all races in the 1970s before it was closed down. It was founded because orphanages and homes for neglected children refused to accept Coloured children and the government funding was less for this Home than for other institutions. There were decades of harsh physical and emotional abuse with lack of adequate food, clothing and education were neglected. Children were made to feel worthless with no hope in their future. There has been an official inquiry regarding the conditions and its results were just completed.
Paula always comforted her younger sister and kept up the girl’s hopes that their mother would return for them. When Paula learned that their mother died, she kept it a secret. When she turned 18, she had to leave the Home, the younger sister remaining behind. This led to a longtime estrangement when they were both adults.
It also tells the story of a family from Guyana of East Asian descent living in a multicultural section of Toronto in a community of immigrants. Two sisters, Diane and Alisa are bright girls, but the elder, Diane, is a star athlete at school and at the top student. Alisa feels that Diane gets more attention at home and at school and is growing resentful and jealous. Diane is tasked with looking after Alisha and protecting her. One day they are at the mall where Diane is being interviewed for a summer job. Alisha is angry at being by herself. A sleazy older man asks her questions about Alisha and her sister.
Alisha has the scheme to go off by herself for a few hours to get Diane in trouble with their parents for not watching her properly. She takes off quickly and the last thing she sees is Diane hurrying after her and the man standing between them. Her family is very upset. Alisha pretends she looked for her sister for hours and never saw her. The grief-stricken parents believe that Diane will come home.
When she is missing, her family offers an award for any information, and continue to believe she is safe. Alisha believes she was abducted by the man.
When Diane's body is discovered, Alisha is consumed with guilt. It is known that the bodies of an Indigenous girl and a white girl had been found in the same vicinity but only the missing white girl seemed to capture the attention of the police. Alisha cannot bear to tell her family what she did and what she believes happened.
Alisha meets Paula, now living in Toronto, and volunteering at her school. The two become friends while trying to work through their grief.
There is much to admire in this emotional, well- written novel. It explores themes of institutional abuse, racism, family dynamics, abduction, unbearable loss, grief and guilt with the hope for forgiveness, resilience, and redemption. The story involves two different pairs of sisters. One beginning in Nova Scotia in 1938, and the other set mainly in Toronto from the 1990s to the present. Although the author managed to unite characters from both stories, its structure lowered its impact for me. I thought having the stories told in two separate books would have made it more compelling. In the case of the modern story, it kept switching from before a tragedy in 1998 to after, and then back and forth again. I wished this part of the story followed a more linear narrative.
The proceeds of the book will go to help the survivors and their families who were forced to live in an institution for Black children. Paula and her younger sister were placed in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children and remained there for years. It was founded in 1921 and became an institution for children of all races in the 1970s before it was closed down. It was founded because orphanages and homes for neglected children refused to accept Coloured children and the government funding was less for this Home than for other institutions. There were decades of harsh physical and emotional abuse with lack of adequate food, clothing and education were neglected. Children were made to feel worthless with no hope in their future. There has been an official inquiry regarding the conditions and its results were just completed.
Paula always comforted her younger sister and kept up the girl’s hopes that their mother would return for them. When Paula learned that their mother died, she kept it a secret. When she turned 18, she had to leave the Home, the younger sister remaining behind. This led to a longtime estrangement when they were both adults.
It also tells the story of a family from Guyana of East Asian descent living in a multicultural section of Toronto in a community of immigrants. Two sisters, Diane and Alisa are bright girls, but the elder, Diane, is a star athlete at school and at the top student. Alisa feels that Diane gets more attention at home and at school and is growing resentful and jealous. Diane is tasked with looking after Alisha and protecting her. One day they are at the mall where Diane is being interviewed for a summer job. Alisha is angry at being by herself. A sleazy older man asks her questions about Alisha and her sister.
Alisha has the scheme to go off by herself for a few hours to get Diane in trouble with their parents for not watching her properly. She takes off quickly and the last thing she sees is Diane hurrying after her and the man standing between them. Her family is very upset. Alisha pretends she looked for her sister for hours and never saw her. The grief-stricken parents believe that Diane will come home.
When she is missing, her family offers an award for any information, and continue to believe she is safe. Alisha believes she was abducted by the man.
When Diane's body is discovered, Alisha is consumed with guilt. It is known that the bodies of an Indigenous girl and a white girl had been found in the same vicinity but only the missing white girl seemed to capture the attention of the police. Alisha cannot bear to tell her family what she did and what she believes happened.
Alisha meets Paula, now living in Toronto, and volunteering at her school. The two become friends while trying to work through their grief.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2019
The Lost Sister by Andrea Gunraj was everything. This book, which weaves two different racialized narratives, that of Paula, a black woman who grew up in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children in the 1940’s (a very real place one of the author’s close friends grew up in - she writes in the acknowledgements about the non-fiction book that details his experiences, and also about writing this book with his permission to honour him), and later about Alisha, a child of South Asian Guyanese parents whose sister is murdered in the late 90’s, and who comes to know Paula during this time of loss. Gunraj states in her introduction to the book that she wants to recognize and celebrate the love that can be built between racialized communities and this book does this, while also telling two powerful and compelling narratives. This book examines loss, familial separation, familial expectations, grief, guilt, secrets, and trying to grow into someone healthier than the person circumstances raised you to be. It is really a painful and beautiful story and a powerful acknowledgement of the history of oppression of people in this country, both past and present, and how it is really within our own communities that we can seek and find healing, particularly when institutions and bureaucracies provide just the opposite. This book also acknowledges Indigenous land, the real anti-Black racism in other communities of colour, and that we are not post-racial at all. I encourage folks to buy this book, because it is excellent, and also, because ALL of the proceeds of this novel go into a scholarship fund for descendants of the survivors of the Nova Scotia School for Coloured Children, which, I just cannot say enough about the fact that Gunraj, who also works with homeless youth, made the choice to use her art to try to address some of that historical wrong. Cue tears. Thank you @netgalley for this ARC, opinions are my own.
December 19, 2021
This is the best book I have read in a long time: serious, consistently engaging, and literate. Gunraj writes with an enviable turn of phrase, often giving me pause to savour a surprising figure of speech or description. The story is compelling, or rather, I should say both stories are compelling, for in this book we encounter two sets of sisters, one in which the lost one is a missing person, the other where the sister is lost through estrangement.
We meet Alisha and Diana in the present time, immigrants from the West Indies now living in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto, and follow them for a few months until the lost sister is located. But Paula and Ave we meet from their early childhood when they are forcibly removed from their single mother and taken to the Home for Coloured Children in Nova Scotia. Paths cross when Alisha is in junior high school and Paula volunteers in the school library.
The story of the Toronto sisters tells of life in a complex of lower income housing, where runaways are not uncommon and an abducted girl of colour is perhaps not a high police priority. Parents with high aspirations for their intelligent daughters find their lives falling apart when Diana is lost, while the remaining sister suffers from guilt, partly because she keeps important secrets to herself and also because she feels less smart and less favoured.
The story of the children from the Home was inspired by the experiences of a former resident there, so is a fictionalized account of reality. It highlights the poverty, neglect, and abuse suffered by all children relegated to an institution, and again one of the girls is favoured, as the matron deems her prettier, smarter, and more worthy of care.
Gunraj take us easily from one story to the other, meshing them smoothly despite being set in different time periods. Even when the lost Guyanese sister is found, the story of the family continues with as much interest to the reader, and, as we learn more about the sisters from the institution, their story becomes the highlight of the book. Everything is not happily-after-after for the accounts are both believable slices of lives, yet we are carried along by an author who knows how to make us care about the characters and gives us an ending that is not perfect, but satisfactory, as life should be.
We meet Alisha and Diana in the present time, immigrants from the West Indies now living in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto, and follow them for a few months until the lost sister is located. But Paula and Ave we meet from their early childhood when they are forcibly removed from their single mother and taken to the Home for Coloured Children in Nova Scotia. Paths cross when Alisha is in junior high school and Paula volunteers in the school library.
The story of the Toronto sisters tells of life in a complex of lower income housing, where runaways are not uncommon and an abducted girl of colour is perhaps not a high police priority. Parents with high aspirations for their intelligent daughters find their lives falling apart when Diana is lost, while the remaining sister suffers from guilt, partly because she keeps important secrets to herself and also because she feels less smart and less favoured.
The story of the children from the Home was inspired by the experiences of a former resident there, so is a fictionalized account of reality. It highlights the poverty, neglect, and abuse suffered by all children relegated to an institution, and again one of the girls is favoured, as the matron deems her prettier, smarter, and more worthy of care.
Gunraj take us easily from one story to the other, meshing them smoothly despite being set in different time periods. Even when the lost Guyanese sister is found, the story of the family continues with as much interest to the reader, and, as we learn more about the sisters from the institution, their story becomes the highlight of the book. Everything is not happily-after-after for the accounts are both believable slices of lives, yet we are carried along by an author who knows how to make us care about the characters and gives us an ending that is not perfect, but satisfactory, as life should be.
July 27, 2019
With compassion, clarity, and enormous talent, Andrea Gunraj tells an epic story of sisters from Guyana to Canada, from the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children to the University of Toronto, and from 1938 to the present. This novel exposes losses no one should suffer but all too many bear. Reading it will break your heart and give you hope to heal.
August 22, 2019
The Lost Sister by Andrea Gunraj is a compelling story of race and abduction that is woven seamlessly between two timelines, both the present and the late 1930s, the latter being inspired by true life events at The Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children.
In the present, we meet Alisha and Diana, two sisters of Guyanese descent who are living in a section of Toronto that is largely inhabited by immigrant families. Alisha has always idolized her older sister, and when Diana goes missing and is later found dead, the entire family begins to unravel.
Paula is an older woman who volunteers at Alisha's school and shares her experiences of living as an orphan at The Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children from 1938 onward. She too has lost a sister through differing circumstances, and ultimately helps Alisha to find at least a small measure of acceptance and peace.
This is a novel that will certainly strike a chord. The alternating narratives are equally impactful, and Ms Gunraj is successful in making us empathize with these girls and women. Although they are constructs of the author's imagination, their circumstances and experiences are a reality.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Nimbus Publishing, and Vagrant Press for this ARC.
In the present, we meet Alisha and Diana, two sisters of Guyanese descent who are living in a section of Toronto that is largely inhabited by immigrant families. Alisha has always idolized her older sister, and when Diana goes missing and is later found dead, the entire family begins to unravel.
Paula is an older woman who volunteers at Alisha's school and shares her experiences of living as an orphan at The Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children from 1938 onward. She too has lost a sister through differing circumstances, and ultimately helps Alisha to find at least a small measure of acceptance and peace.
This is a novel that will certainly strike a chord. The alternating narratives are equally impactful, and Ms Gunraj is successful in making us empathize with these girls and women. Although they are constructs of the author's imagination, their circumstances and experiences are a reality.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Nimbus Publishing, and Vagrant Press for this ARC.
August 21, 2020
3.5 stars. What a wonderful thing to read about your city as another character in a novel. Gunraj wrote it seamlessly, fitting the geography in without making a big deal of it. I could picture Jane & Finch, Crothers Woods, Brampton where her family ends up. It was written with such familiarity, but it also could have been anywhere.
It was interesting to have the two stories juxtaposed. I didn't know anything about the NS Home for Coloured Children before this but its focus provided a depth of structure that the other story needed.
It was interesting to have the two stories juxtaposed. I didn't know anything about the NS Home for Coloured Children before this but its focus provided a depth of structure that the other story needed.
February 29, 2020
This book was a masterpiece.
Two incredibly heartbreaking stories, beautifully intertwined, with wonderfully complex characters. This novel opened my eyes to the horrors faced by countless victims in the ‘Nova Scotia Home For Coloured Children’ as well as so many residential schools and similar institutions.
I feel like I experienced so much with the characters in this novel. They felt so real and raw to me, and this is such a testament to the author and her incredible talent.
If you feel you comfortable with the subject matter and some triggering topics, please please add this to your TBR list. It’s a must-read.
Two incredibly heartbreaking stories, beautifully intertwined, with wonderfully complex characters. This novel opened my eyes to the horrors faced by countless victims in the ‘Nova Scotia Home For Coloured Children’ as well as so many residential schools and similar institutions.
I feel like I experienced so much with the characters in this novel. They felt so real and raw to me, and this is such a testament to the author and her incredible talent.
If you feel you comfortable with the subject matter and some triggering topics, please please add this to your TBR list. It’s a must-read.
September 12, 2021
I'm sure just about anyone would like this book. For a first time writer, this is an amazing story. Well written, well thought out, intriguing. I couldn't put it down.
I thought one little area was a bit slow, but I do think that was just me being impatient. I am the type of person to skip over the musings and descriptions and skim for dialog. Not with this book.
Seriously, my favorite parts were the one sentence descriptions of people and scenes. With just a few words I had a complete painting in my mind. It made me want to sit and paint each backdrop. I got the feeling that the writer is a painter. I am not a painter but the writing inspires me to do that.
This was so lovely, and heartbreaking, and warm. Thank you.
I thought one little area was a bit slow, but I do think that was just me being impatient. I am the type of person to skip over the musings and descriptions and skim for dialog. Not with this book.
Seriously, my favorite parts were the one sentence descriptions of people and scenes. With just a few words I had a complete painting in my mind. It made me want to sit and paint each backdrop. I got the feeling that the writer is a painter. I am not a painter but the writing inspires me to do that.
This was so lovely, and heartbreaking, and warm. Thank you.
August 15, 2019
The Lost Sister is a story about sisterly bonds, family loss and the pressures of growing up as a young black girl in Canada.
Half the narration is set in the present day and the other half is set in the 1940’s, tracking the lives of two different pairs of sisters. I liked how the constant back and forth between the two time periods was able to highlight how little times have changed for racialised communities in Canada. Paula and Alisha’s friendship is a beautiful union that transcends age through their shared experiences.
I also like how the novel touched on the different attitudes of immigrant parents to their first generation children. Alisha’s present day narrative demonstrated hers and her sister’s frustrations with keeping their parents happy while also trying to fit in with the western cultural practices they’ve grown to know. Throughout the book Alisha and Diana find themselves struggling to understand their mother’s reluctance to let them grow up which leaves the two sisters unable to relate to either their family or their peers.
My one criticism would be that on occasion the narration felt a bit rushed and because of that I didn’t feel entirely satisfied by the ending. It came across as rather a frantic attempt at tying up loose ends and unfortunately I think this lessened the novel’s overall impact. That being said, the The Lost Sister is still definitely worth a read, I give it 4 stars!
Half the narration is set in the present day and the other half is set in the 1940’s, tracking the lives of two different pairs of sisters. I liked how the constant back and forth between the two time periods was able to highlight how little times have changed for racialised communities in Canada. Paula and Alisha’s friendship is a beautiful union that transcends age through their shared experiences.
I also like how the novel touched on the different attitudes of immigrant parents to their first generation children. Alisha’s present day narrative demonstrated hers and her sister’s frustrations with keeping their parents happy while also trying to fit in with the western cultural practices they’ve grown to know. Throughout the book Alisha and Diana find themselves struggling to understand their mother’s reluctance to let them grow up which leaves the two sisters unable to relate to either their family or their peers.
My one criticism would be that on occasion the narration felt a bit rushed and because of that I didn’t feel entirely satisfied by the ending. It came across as rather a frantic attempt at tying up loose ends and unfortunately I think this lessened the novel’s overall impact. That being said, the The Lost Sister is still definitely worth a read, I give it 4 stars!
June 28, 2023
Ariela- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Lost Sister is a tale of friendship, betrayal, love, and loss. I liked this book because it was a like a murder mystery. It starred a young girl named Alisha who had always looked up to her older sister Diana. When Diana suddenly disappears, Alisha finds herself filled with sadness and regret. I found The Lost Sister oddly written. If I’m being honest, maybe one chapter would be first person POV, but then the other be in third person, Paula’s POV. Paula is Alisha’s friend who’s little sister hates her. Her POV is in third person and it took half of the book. I liked each POV, except I didn’t really see the significance of having both.
Both Alisha and Paula are such strong, well-written characters that lead complicated lives, and I really saw that throughout the book. However, I think, maybe a summary of Paula’s tragic backstory would have sufficed because a few things about Alisha could really have been cleared up. Other than that, I liked this book. The story was solid and this story is perfect slice-of-life murder mystery to read. (If you’re into that sort of thing)
I recommend this book.
If you would like a copy of this book, check out Nimbus Publishing to get your copy!
See you all next time and thank you for reading my book review! Have a wonderful day!
The Lost Sister is a tale of friendship, betrayal, love, and loss. I liked this book because it was a like a murder mystery. It starred a young girl named Alisha who had always looked up to her older sister Diana. When Diana suddenly disappears, Alisha finds herself filled with sadness and regret. I found The Lost Sister oddly written. If I’m being honest, maybe one chapter would be first person POV, but then the other be in third person, Paula’s POV. Paula is Alisha’s friend who’s little sister hates her. Her POV is in third person and it took half of the book. I liked each POV, except I didn’t really see the significance of having both.
Both Alisha and Paula are such strong, well-written characters that lead complicated lives, and I really saw that throughout the book. However, I think, maybe a summary of Paula’s tragic backstory would have sufficed because a few things about Alisha could really have been cleared up. Other than that, I liked this book. The story was solid and this story is perfect slice-of-life murder mystery to read. (If you’re into that sort of thing)
I recommend this book.
If you would like a copy of this book, check out Nimbus Publishing to get your copy!
See you all next time and thank you for reading my book review! Have a wonderful day!
August 30, 2020
3.5 stars
Written very well but dragged in some places. I also struggled with the fact that Alisha kept the information about her sister’s disappearance for so long. Having a sister and also two daughters, I couldn’t wrap my head around this fact. Despite having conflicting feelings towards her older sister, which I feel are a normal part of the sibling relationships and rivalries, this fact just didn’t seem plausible without the character herself being pure evil, which she really isn’t. I just didn’t believe that Alisha hated Diana that much to not share the vital information she knew about her disappearance. I did enjoy the story of Paula, which was obviously more believable since it was based on facts from actual accounts of former residents of the home.
Written very well but dragged in some places. I also struggled with the fact that Alisha kept the information about her sister’s disappearance for so long. Having a sister and also two daughters, I couldn’t wrap my head around this fact. Despite having conflicting feelings towards her older sister, which I feel are a normal part of the sibling relationships and rivalries, this fact just didn’t seem plausible without the character herself being pure evil, which she really isn’t. I just didn’t believe that Alisha hated Diana that much to not share the vital information she knew about her disappearance. I did enjoy the story of Paula, which was obviously more believable since it was based on facts from actual accounts of former residents of the home.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2020
4.5 A powerful story of sisters, guilt, secrets and the possibility of reconciliation. Alisha knows more about the disappearance of her accomplished and clever older sister than she lets on. Paula mourns the emotional loss of her little sister when both girls are taken to the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children. Two parallel stories that explore the notion of family and the challenges of being different.
August 31, 2024
I liked the perspective of two different characters and following one through the past and one through the present and I liked the crime related plot. It kept my interest enough to finish it but I wasn’t amazed by it. And one of the main characters development was not that great. But overall not bad.
December 29, 2020
It must just be me but I felt like I was trying to do two different puzzles with a large piece missing from each box. Later the two stories merged however I felt lost and almost disillusioned by then.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2025
I really appreciated the discussion on the impact of racism, social issues, systemic racism and family culture.
I didn’t always love the switching perspectives and the ending felt a bit underwhelming for me. Overall I would recommend though given the valuable content
I didn’t always love the switching perspectives and the ending felt a bit underwhelming for me. Overall I would recommend though given the valuable content
December 18, 2019
4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this book. It was a book about loss, struggle, fortitude, resilience, forgiveness and redemption. Beautify written!
December 27, 2019
This relatively short novel interweaves two stories. As I finished it, I couldn't believe how much Gunraj covered with such depth in revealing the details and exploring loss, families and tragedy.
July 14, 2020
I enjoyed most of this book, just found it dragged in some places, hard to keep my interest.
November 2, 2020
I quickly got lost in this story that will break your heart.
December 27, 2020
The two stories are woven together so well, but each given their own space to really develop and draw you in.
July 13, 2022
A very good but sometimes hard to read book about how good intentions aren't always enough.
March 7, 2023
This book deals with child abuse and neglect. At times it’s a difficult to read but I really enjoy it. It shows that no matter what you’re going through you will have family.
March 25, 2023
Not sure what I just read?! This wasn’t for me…
February 26, 2020
3.5. For me, Gunraj didn’t quite manage to pull off these intertwined stories of two pairs of black sisters, one pair living in the Jane & Finch area of contemporary Toronto, the other set taken from their mother to the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children in 1938. Gunraj acknowledges that she drew on the real-life experiences of a resident of that home for this portion of her novel, and it’s the horrors of that experience that will live with me: experiences very similar to those suffered by children in residential schools for indigenous children. I couldn’t really believe in the other story of Alisha, in contemporary Toronto, whose jealousy of her older sister, Diana, is in large-part responsible for Diana’s disappearance and murder.
December 1, 2020
Canadian author Andrea Gunraj published her sophomore novel The Lost Sister in September of 2019. Gunraj has written a heartbreakingly beautiful coming-of-age story about Alisha and her experiences before, during, and after the disappearance of her older sister Diana. During this time, Alisha develops an unlikely friendship with Paula, an older woman who faces her own challenges with her own sister. Gunraj weaves a number of storylines: Alisha’s search to find out what happened to her sister, Alisha figuring out who she is as a person, and in Paula’s story, unraveling family secrets and sharing her story of survival during her time in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children with her sister Ave. Gunraj uses inspiration and information from Mr. Garnet Smith who provided her with a glimpse into his life having lived in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children for fourteen years.
Alisha’s parents are immigrants from Guyana who want the best life possible for their two daughters living in Toronto, Canada. Alisha has lived in the shadow of Diana’s successes. Always second best, she never aspired to be better, or something more, until Diana goes missing. Paula’s story reveals her written account of what happened to her and her sister in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children while they were growing up in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Paula is willing to do anything and everything to protect her baby sister which includes not always telling her the truth. Alisha and Paula are a questionable pair and while Alisha seeks to discover what happened to Diana she also becomes entangled in Paula and Ave’s story.
The Lost Sister not only takes the reader down a dark path in Canada’s history but also points to the continued prejudices that immigrant families face today. While The Lost Sister focuses on some seedier parts in Canada’s history, The Lost Sister also works its way into your heart as Gunraj tells the tale of the bond that sisters share. Gunraj knows how to pull those strings tightly. It is not often that you see a story that focuses on the relationship between sisters. Gunraj has done an exquisite job creating that complex relationship that sisters share and portraying it in two very different storylines. Gunraj has written a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. As this is Gunraj’s second novel, it would be lovely to see more work from her in the future. Andrea Gunraj is an up-and-coming Canadian author that readers should keep on their radar.
https://www.cloudlakeliterary.ca/blog...
Originally published on Cloud Lake Literary’s website, link above.
*Thank you Nimbus Publishing for the gifted ARC version*
Alisha’s parents are immigrants from Guyana who want the best life possible for their two daughters living in Toronto, Canada. Alisha has lived in the shadow of Diana’s successes. Always second best, she never aspired to be better, or something more, until Diana goes missing. Paula’s story reveals her written account of what happened to her and her sister in the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children while they were growing up in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Paula is willing to do anything and everything to protect her baby sister which includes not always telling her the truth. Alisha and Paula are a questionable pair and while Alisha seeks to discover what happened to Diana she also becomes entangled in Paula and Ave’s story.
The Lost Sister not only takes the reader down a dark path in Canada’s history but also points to the continued prejudices that immigrant families face today. While The Lost Sister focuses on some seedier parts in Canada’s history, The Lost Sister also works its way into your heart as Gunraj tells the tale of the bond that sisters share. Gunraj knows how to pull those strings tightly. It is not often that you see a story that focuses on the relationship between sisters. Gunraj has done an exquisite job creating that complex relationship that sisters share and portraying it in two very different storylines. Gunraj has written a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. As this is Gunraj’s second novel, it would be lovely to see more work from her in the future. Andrea Gunraj is an up-and-coming Canadian author that readers should keep on their radar.
https://www.cloudlakeliterary.ca/blog...
Originally published on Cloud Lake Literary’s website, link above.
*Thank you Nimbus Publishing for the gifted ARC version*
April 7, 2021
The Lost Sister has a dual timeline. In the present day, we follow Alisha and her family as they deal with her older sister who has gone missing in Toronto. In the 1930s, we learn about Paula and her sister’s experience at the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children.
Although this story does follow a missing teenager, this isn’t a mystery or thriller. It explores the relationship between sisters and how an initial closeness in youth doesn’t guarantee the same closeness as adults. I have a lot of thoughts about this but I don’t want to give any spoilers!
This was a really powerful read and introduced me to the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children which I had never heard of before. It also deals with many different types of trauma and grief. This is not an easy read but it is worth the journey.
Thank you to Nimbus Publishing and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. Although I didn’t read it before the archive date (when I was a newbie) they still put it on my radar!
Although this story does follow a missing teenager, this isn’t a mystery or thriller. It explores the relationship between sisters and how an initial closeness in youth doesn’t guarantee the same closeness as adults. I have a lot of thoughts about this but I don’t want to give any spoilers!
This was a really powerful read and introduced me to the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children which I had never heard of before. It also deals with many different types of trauma and grief. This is not an easy read but it is worth the journey.
Thank you to Nimbus Publishing and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. Although I didn’t read it before the archive date (when I was a newbie) they still put it on my radar!
February 13, 2020
The Lost Sister is not only brilliant and captivating novel but an important reminder of a part of Canadian history that is too often left untold. Gunraj brings to life characters across generations and decades, telling two interwoven stories of pain and resilience. From the first page to the last I was drawn in by the twists and turns of The Lost Sister.
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