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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I picked up Sisters because Daisy Johnson is one of the ten nominees for the Women’s Prize x Good Housekeeping Futures Award.
It is an eerie atmospheric read with more than a touch of horror, centred around an unhealthy relationship between September and July, two teenage sisters who are practically twins. Something has recently happened which has caused a big upheaval in their life, causing them to flee to an isolated family home near the coast. Their mother Sheela is not fully present, depression often confining her to her bed. The way the story unfolds is frustrating - deliberately so, obfuscating information which the reader desperately wants to know. It’s fragmentary in nature, moving back and forward in time, revealing that July and September’s isn’t the only unhealthy relationship in the family. By the time the truth about what happened to cause the family’s move is revealed I wasn’t surprised, having already suspected as much. This isn’t a slight on the book at all, more a sign that the twist was not one of those totally out-of-left field ones which I can find a bit irritating. This books is a powerful exploration of memory, inheritance, love and power. It does a great job of capturing some of the essence of the teenage experience. I especially enjoyed the author’s way with words and the atmosphere she was able to create.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Grief
annirox16's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
this book was absolutely gripping. my heart is racing after that ending. way too in time with events in my life
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
leilapulaski's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Child death, and Self harm
erindoesdesign's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Child death, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Toxic relationship
lit_with_lauren's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Self harm
court_grubb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Child death
Minor: Violence and Bullying
beckyjc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I read this book in one sitting. It starts fairly slowly but the pace really picks up as the novel progresses - or perhaps it just felt that way as I became more intrigued by the revelations that build. This is a twisty plot, influenced by macabre folktale and a taste for the sinister and unnerving.
The relationship between the two sisters is an unusual one and I found some of the passages uncomfortable to read. The (just about) older sister's treatment of the younger sister is by turns protective, joyful, claustrophobic, toxic, strange. Childish games are tinged with violence and unpredictability. The mother figure is effectively shut out of their world, leaving a sense of unsafe space where harm lurks at unexpected turns.
July, the youngest sister - whose viewpoint we see the plot through - seems to experience similar uncertainty about September, sometimes grateful and desperate for September's attention, and sometimes frightened and stifled by it.About halfway through the book, as the action escalates in weirdness, I wondered if July and September were the same girl. If the reason we don't hear September's voice directly is because she doesn't exist, but is some kind of projection or fantasy that a nervous and unpopular child has created. Though I was wrong, I think this shows how Johnson does a good job of slowly alerting the reader to the fact that something isn't right. There is tension and absence running through the writing.
The coastal setting, and the dilapidated house they occupy, add to the atmosphere of loss and danger, devoid of any real comfort - physical or emotional.
The ending did make me sad. After suggesting July could have had an independent and fulfilling life without September, we see that she in fact honours a pact she made with September that only September should survive if they cannot both survive. It's disturbing and alarming, and leaves the novel on a mysterious note. What does this mean in reality? Will July now emulate September for good as she had been doing as a coping mechanism in grief? There's a vague body-snatching feel to this conclusion that made me shudder!
I would read more by Johnson on the basis of Sisters. Brooding, insular and mysterious - don't read this if you want something light-hearted.
The relationship between the two sisters is an unusual one and I found some of the passages uncomfortable to read. The (just about) older sister's treatment of the younger sister is by turns protective, joyful, claustrophobic, toxic, strange. Childish games are tinged with violence and unpredictability. The mother figure is effectively shut out of their world, leaving a sense of unsafe space where harm lurks at unexpected turns.
July, the youngest sister - whose viewpoint we see the plot through - seems to experience similar uncertainty about September, sometimes grateful and desperate for September's attention, and sometimes frightened and stifled by it.
The coastal setting, and the dilapidated house they occupy, add to the atmosphere of loss and danger, devoid of any real comfort - physical or emotional.
I would read more by Johnson on the basis of Sisters. Brooding, insular and mysterious - don't read this if you want something light-hearted.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Toxic relationship
emptychurches's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Self harm, Sexual content, and Vomit
ellik6612's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Dark, good plot development. Creepy but not too scary. Reader get very wrapped up in the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
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