Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Sisters

If I had to summarize this story with one word I would choose sticky. I don't even know what else I should say about this atmospheric, kind of disturbing fever dream like story other than I need to read more by Daisy Johnson.

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virtualdragonkitty's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

A short and simple novella that really felt like a nice introduction into the horror genre. There are a lot of tropes covered but they aren't done badly. Johnson kept me on my toes till the very end trying to figure out what was truly happening.

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james1star's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I didn’t like this book. It started out okayish, definitely a bit *too* descriptive - not in the transportive way but more like “oh more details… yay… ugh” - but I guess this densness did die down as the story unfolded. It then just went into too much backstory plot kinda and about the sisters relationship, not the ‘sinister unfolding(s)’ with a lot less emphasis on the noises, lights flickering, lack of sleep and endless dreams which I was promised in the blurb. I just don’t feel like it gave what was stated. Not to spoil the plot at all but the main twist I did kind of predict as the story was developing so I was glad to get it right but also like I wasn’t shocked either.

The writing was okay I guess but I did feel like it changed quite a bit with lots of small sentences then very long ones. It was readable and followed but kind of irritating I guess. There was no quotation marks which does irk me but at least speech is on separate lines. The characters are rather unlikable and unrealistic with not that much logic in my opinion. Towards the end the plot seemed a bit rushed with lots of small paragraphs that were somewhat confusing but I dunno, I really didn’t like how it wrapped up.

Quick plot summary: two sisters and their mum move to their aunt’s rental house which is kinda run down, the mum is depressed and absent, sisters have a ‘weird’ relationship with September controlling basically all of July’s life, they explore the house and area, think back to their childhood and ‘the incident’ and Yhh, y’ll be getting no more out of me. Not that I would really recommend you read it but if you do… you get what I mean.

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cristina_margarita's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This story wriggled its way inside me like a tapeworm. I keep trying to pin down how it made me feel or any thoughts I have but they’re so evasive. I just desperately want July to be alright but buried beneath that is the deepest feelings of unease regarding her.

The characters are incredibly & disturbingly real. And the ending. The ending felt like slotting in the last piece of a puzzle - perfectly fitting but tinged with remorse at how it had to end.

The most coherent thought I have about this book is that it reminds me of House of Hollow, just less glamorous & fantastical & for an adult audience.

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aliced's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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calisbooklog's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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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.

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