Friday, July 4, 2014

The Good Sister by Jamie Kain

I come from a family of four sisters, so I know the love, jealousy, hate, loyalty and all encompassing relationship you can only have with a sister.  This is one of the few books that I have ever read that completely nails that bond.
The book begins with Sarah's death, and her view is a huge part of the story.  It felt reminiscent of The Lovely Bones, with her narrative woven throughout the story of her sisters trying to deal with the aftermath of losing her.  Asha and Rachel are basically raising themselves, left alone by a pseudo-hippie mother, who is really just too self-involved to parent, and a dad who has moved on to a child free life. 
I don't want to give away any spoilers, because I feel like this is a book that needs to be experienced by each person.  Maybe it won't strike others as deeply as it did me, but I think it will have an impact on anyone who has a sister.
The writing is so descriptive of the feelings that the girls invoke in each other, "She has a crazy way of doing that. I've never figured out what her game is, or where she gets her nerve, but she is an energy vortex. When she's near, I feel like I need to go take a nap.....I want her to stop sucking the energy out of me......But I can still feel her there, sucking, sucking, sucking.".
The story is intriguing, the writing is beautiful, I cared about the characters and their story.  There was no happy ending, just a broken family learning to move forward.
As Asha said, "She is everything I have ever known about love, and she's taught me how to know this feeling now."  That is what a sister is to me too.
I loved this book, and it's one of the few I willingly give 5 stars.  I can't wait to see the author's next book.
I was given a free ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review - and I only give honest reviews.

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