THE SHRED SISTERS
Betsy Lerner
Grove Press
October 1, 2024
272 pages
This is a sad story of a broken family. Mom, Dad and two sisters. The older sister has severe mental health issues. The fallout of these issues ends up affecting the rest of the family.
The tagline for this book is:
“No one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister.
In relation to this story, it is very true. The storyline shows us this from beginning to end.
Without being an expert on mental health, the character of the older sister, Ollie, seems to be accurately depicted. My heart broke for her. Her insides must have been a constant hurricane. Her actions and thoughts have no consideration of consequences or repercussions. And, my heart broke for Amy, the younger sister, whose heart was broken, over and over.
The writing is emotional and raw. At times the plot seems slightly disjointed. I’m not sure if this is an editing problem or if it is a “special effect” to demonstrate the nature of the story. I tend to believe that it was to match the rhythm of Ollie’s and Amy’s lives. I found it a little disconcerting.
I found the ending to be abrupt, not satisfying. I enjoyed the first part of the story when the girls were young and Ollie’s problems were already an issue. But as I read further I started to feel disconnected from the characters. For me, it was just ok.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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