Book Review

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

Sisterland is written by best-selling author Curtis Sittenfeld who also wrote American Wife and Prep. It is about twin sisters by birth, Daisy and Violet. Daisy later changes her name to Kate in order to avoid her past filled with whispers of ESP, witches, and the cruel rumors told in high school by the Queen Bee of their class.

Kate and Vi go their own ways, each struggling with her gift of premonition and her past history, together and apart. Their Mother spends hours in her room from the girl’s elementary years forward and their Father tries to make a normal life for them – as normal as he is able to do.

The story opens years later in St. Louis, MO., their hometown. Each has found her way back to St. Louis. Kate is a mother of two children in a loving marriage with close friends they spend time with. Vi has tried to make a career of her psychic skills and find what her path in life should be.

An earthquake has hit the city in the middle of the night and each sister reacts in different ways. As Vi becomes a celebrity by predicting another earthquake to follow, the sisters are brought together to figure out what happens next. Their past will be revisited and their futures face uncertainty as they make their own decisions and pick their own paths forward. What do they have together and what do they want from each other?

I found this book haunting in the sister portrayal of Daisy and Violet, their relationship and their lives after high school. The choices each sister made before and after the earthquake will surprise you. It shows the deep closeness of twin and sisters as they navigate their lives going forward.

I give this book 4 Stars! Happy Reading!

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