This month’s RMS book club read, Sisterland, is about identical twins Kate and Violet, who share psychic abilities. Having read and loved Prep and American Wife by the same author and, as someone who’s intrigued by all things psychic, I was pretty sure I would love this book.
Then a couple of people, also fans of Prep and American Wife, told me they hadn’t enjoyed it. My excitement levels about the book plummeted. I read the prologue. It didn’t grab me. So I put it aside. I tried again. The same thing happened. I took it on holiday and finally, on a beach in Formentera, I made it through chapter one and from then on I couldn’t stop reading becoming, I fear, quite antisocial. Just shows what a change of scenery can do, taking a book from impossible-to-start to impossible-to-put-down.
Sisterland starts in the present day, then takes us back in time and continues to move between now and back in the day throughout the book. We learn that when the girls were teenagers Kate revealed their psychic secret to try and win favour with their popular but mean classmate Marisa. The fallout sends the sisters on different paths. Kate does her best to stifle her abilities and as an adult is living a conventional family life with her husband and two young children. Vi on the other hand is single, eccentric and fully embraces her abilities. When Vi predicts a major earthquake in St Louis, where the sisters both live, it becomes major news and their lives spin increasingly out of control
The book is told from Kate’s point of view and I especially loved the flashbacks to Kate and Vi’s teenage years. It took me back to being a teenager and all that comes with it, sleepovers, wanting to be popular, mean girls and feeling all the feelings about everything, especially boys. I also enjoyed the themes of family that are explored, the relationship between the sisters and how family secrets are revealed. The fact that, for most of the way through, the book is heading towards a will there or won’t there be a devastating earthquake conclusion kept me hooked, not to mention reading increasingly quickly as the day of the predicted earthquake approached. I have to admit to being disappointed by the ending. It felt a bit flat after everything that had come before. Some reviews I’ve read found the character of Kate unbearably dull. Granted Vi was a more interesting character but I think that having the story unfold through the more conventional twin’s eyes made it more relatable and all the talk of psychic powers seem more believable.
Although it’s not up there with Prep and American Wife for me, I still enjoyed Sisterland, although I’m wondering whether, without the deadline of book club, I’d ever have made it past the prologue. As always do share your thoughts and suggestions for future books below. And if you’re too busy for a full on review why not leave a #threewordreview below or on Twitter.
For next months’s book club, let’s read The Bees
Unfortunately, I didn’t find the time to read Sisterland as I had another book to read. I had to read The Circle and I have to say, that I didn’t like it too much. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Now, I just ordered The Bees and I’m looking forward to read it!
Hope you enjoy Mia, see you next month to discuss!
I didn’t get round to reading Sisterland either but it is on my kindle so I will make sure that I spend some time trying to get into it as you suggest, Miranda. Since the last bookclub, I have read and enjoyed The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain. I thought it was a really lovely book and am going to download The President’s Hat by the same author because I really enjoyed his writing style. Happy reading! X
Ooh I just read a synopsis of The Red Notebook, it sounds intriguing, definitely my kind of book!
*CONTAINS A FEW SPOILER HINTS*
I read Sisterland. I would probably give it an 8/10 overall – I found it quite a ‘slow burn’ but I was really hooked by the last few chapters when everything went a bit mental. If I’m honest, I wasn’t TOO sure what the whole psychic bit actually added to the story apart from as a sort of metaphor – I thought it would have been interesting even without all of that. The most interesting bit was the inter-relationships between the two sisters and their parents, especially the dead mother, and how different their choices were despite living similar lives – one being so scared of the mundane and the other determined to never be anything but.
I also wasn’t *entirely* convinced by the whole thing that happened with the male character and why it happened. This may just be me being naive but I feel like people in happy, stable relationships (which both of them seemed to be in) don’t suddenly do stuff like that – especially a person like Kate who spent the entire novel trying NOT to do anything out of the ordinary. It all seemed a bit too sudden/jarring. It made me feel a bit sad because apparently no matter how happy/content people are – they might still do sh*tty things to each other even for no apparent reason?!
I did think the book was a real surprise. I feel as though the issue of race/racism actually ended up being quite a prominent issue in the role whereas they were only touched upon earlier and I thought that was quite clever/unexpected.
It was also interesting that Kate was so desperate to fit in/be ‘normal’ (whatever that means) and ended up not being like that.
Overall definitely a good read – thank you for suggesting it RMS!
I agree Kate, the bit at the end seemed to come from nowhere. The relationship between the sisters and their parents and the sisters looked back to their childhood was definitely the most interesting bit for me. I also liked that the discovery of who the girls had inherited their psychic abilities from made Kate see that particular parent in whole new light. Happy you enjoyed!
I found this book hard to put down and got through it very quickly. RMS and my local book club is turning me into a speed reader!
The basis of the book is Kate and Vi’s relationship and I love how the historic flashbacks explain the ups and downs between them. It is written very honestly and the characters are able to cross lines and say things to each other that no-one else could. I don’t feel the psychicness plays a major part but it just helps emphasise their connection, and at times disconnection, with each other.
I liked Hank and Kate’s friendship to begin with and was not surprised when the “event” happens. I kind of get that there may have been a tension come about as both were disappointed with the spouses at the time. This was didn’t feel like it was the right way for the story to go and it lead to a rushed ending. The evil side of me really wanted the truth to come out and to explore the race issues and relationships further.
Overall I really enjoyed the book – especially Vi’s carefree attitude. I would be interested to read a Curtis Sittenfeld book again. I would score this 7/10.
I loved how we met the sisters at key points throughout their relationship too. I agree, the ending seemed rushed and I would have liked the book to have liked to have stuck with the characters for a bit longer and to have known what happened in the other couple’s life too. Highly recommend both American Wife and Prep, I haven’t read The Man Of My Dreams though.
Really enjoyed this book and got hooked quite early on. Would have enjoyed a few more chapters to further explore consequences from the “event”, but I guess the author is leaving some of this to our imaginations. Also really enjoyed American wife by the same author, would recommend.
Yes, me too Tinny, I would definitely have liked a few more chapters to explore the aftermath of the event. And really enjoyed American Wife too!
I enjoyed the book, and found it refreshingly easy to read after just finishing the mammoth book that is the goldfinch. I did however feel it kept me reading because I was expecting something major to happen that really didn’t. I didn’t really feel what happened was very believable, and as I thought it was going to get interesting, the book finished.Overall enjoyable though and I am tempted by the other books by the same author x
Yes, Emma, I wasn’t sure about what ended up happening and would have welcomed a few more chapters. I haven’t committed to The Goldfinch yet, but I’ve heard such good things! Highly recommend Prep and American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. x
I’ve just finished Sisterland, and while I did really enjoy it and like some of the other commenters have said, got a bit hooked, I’m not sure that I would’ve been quite so committed had I not spent the last few days lying at the beach in the south of Spain!
Initially I really liked the characterisation, particularly Kate, but I did find her actions towards the end very out of character, and not believable as a result.
I enjoyed the flashbacks, and working out the impact that the different stories would have on the present day narrative, and would probably have appreciated this sort of technique when justifying the upset towards the end.
The last 5% of the book I felt abandoned the reader somewhat, it was as if the author suddenly decided they’d had enough and wanted to wrap things up as quickly as possible, which was pretty frustrating!
Hmmm… Reading this back it seems like quite a harsh review, whereas in actual fact I did really enjoy it, looked forward to going back to it and finished it within a day and a half. I’m definitely going to download American Wife, but only once I’ve finished The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop, which I’m currently loving from my lounger.
Thanks for the recommendation RMS. x
I love that you joined us from your sun lounger Rebecca, RMS book club goes international! It was a slightly sudden ending, a bit like the ‘And then I woke up’ ending I frequently used at the end of stories I wrote at school when I couldn’t work out how to tie up all the loose ends I’d created! I very much enjoyed The Island, The Return and The Thread by Victoria Hislop. I just looked on her website and, as well as The Sunrise, there are two other books for me to read, yay! Enjoy the rest of your holiday! x