cover image Sistering

Sistering

Jennifer Quist. Linda Leith (LitDistCo, dist.), $19.95 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-927535-70-7

Quist (Love Letters of the Angels of Death) drops readers into the center of an intricate web of bonds among five adult sisters and into the minds of each of them as they narrate in turn. This approach allows readers to hear each sister's thoughts about the others and the conversations among them. Quist clearly knows family and sibling dynamics, and she expertly shows the ways that the sisters support one another and aggravate one another at the same time. The story lines mostly involve the women's relationships with one another or with their husbands or boyfriends, but a twist in one sister's story involving the accidental death of her mother-in-law takes the book in an entirely different and almost absurd direction. Though the crisis strains believability, it serves to bring the sisters together, highlight the strength of their love for one another, and fuel the novel's dark humor. This is a captivating story bound to resonate with readers who have sisters, and Quist's sharp observations of human nature and sense for comedy will entertain a broader audience. (Aug.)