Certified Book Addicts's Reviews > The Sister’s Gift

From Aussie author Barbara Hannay comes her latest contemporary novel, The Sister’s Gift. There appears to be quite a few books that revolve around sisters at the moment but thankfully they are all different. The main protagonist’s, but not sister’s, are Billie and Freya, who tell their story in the third person through alternating chapters. Magnetic Island in Australia was a good location to set the story in as I have not been there before. Now I would like to go there on a holiday! Hopefully my holiday would not be filled with the drama that the sisters encountered as Hannay explores the usual topics of marriage, secrets, forgiveness, family and love to name just a few. With a sensitive touch, she also delves into more complex areas such as kidney health and surrogacy. There’s definitely going to be tears and laughter along the way.

Billie is a young woman in her early twenties. She loves travelling the world and her passion has taken her to the Greece. Here, Billie embarked on a relationship with Santos, a man she could see a future with. Santos didn’t feel the same way and, in the blink of an eye Billie finds herself back home on Magnetic Island. Her mother Pearl, father and aunt are the family that embrace Billie. Billie and her mother’s relationship is typical of many. They have good times and at other times, things are strained. In contrast, Billie has a close relationship with her father and aunt Freya, her mother’s sister. When Freya learns that Santos has left her with an unexpected gift and that the three people she loves most in the world have been lying to her, Freya’s life is turned upside down. Can Billie forgive her family? Will she be able to move on to a new relationship with the local policeman Dan?

Freya is a confident happy woman who grew up on the island. Quirky and fun, she is supportive of Billie. I both admired and was a little envious of the relationship the pair had as I am not in contact with my own aunts. With a lot of bad luck in her life recently, it is a good thing that Freya and Billie make a good team. A husband deserting Freya and the demolition of her house is just the start of it all. Billie is a lovely niece as she offers Freya her place to stay while Pearl, would not offer her house up for accommodation. The sisters have had a fraught relationship after Pearl made the sacrifice of a lifetime decades ago. When Freya unexpectedly runs into her first love, Dan, things are about to take a turn for the better. Will the fated couple overcome the many obstacles they must face? Will Billie and Pearl forgive her?

A must read for fans of Aussie contemporary fiction!