Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Sisters

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Sisters by Daisy Johnson

17 reviews

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.

Content Warnings