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A review by helterskelliter
Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry
4.0
“Was it possible for a house to be abandoned and still have four people living in it?” (101)
The Torres sisters haven’t been okay since their eldest sister, Ana, died a year ago. She was pushed or she fell or she jumped from her bedroom window. No one’s quite sure exactly what happened to Ana, beautiful and brave Ana who always had one eye on her sisters and the other towards the sky. Loving and longing.
Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa desperately miss their sister. They miss the sister who tried to help them escape from their abusive father, the sister who never backed down from their father’s anger, the sister who probably they never really knew. How could she have left them on their own? How could they not protect her?
Jessica mourns the sister she always wanted to emulate, wearing Ana’s clothes and dating her former boyfriend. Iridian regrets that last words she spit at her older sister, ashamed and sorry for the things she doesn’t believe could ever be forgiven even if Ana were still alive. Rosa longs to find the ghost of Ana, to receive and honor her sister’s dying wish for them all.
This is an unexpectedly moving story about processing grief and working through guilt, emotions that trauma can complicate and distort into shame and regret. The Torres sisters are haunted by not just their sister but by all the choices they never made and by the choices taken from them. Ana’s sad and unknowable hurt becomes this ache for each sister that manifests in different ways.
As each sister comes to terms with Ana’s death and with the trauma of her life, they must face their own hurts they’ve hidden away from themselves and each other. It’s only be working together that they will be able to overcome their pain and let Ana go.
Really eerie and mysterious, this book is a great choice for someone who likes a haunting with purpose. Or, for someone who believes that the scariest ghosts are the hurts we let grow in ourselves.
Definitely recommend!
The Torres sisters haven’t been okay since their eldest sister, Ana, died a year ago. She was pushed or she fell or she jumped from her bedroom window. No one’s quite sure exactly what happened to Ana, beautiful and brave Ana who always had one eye on her sisters and the other towards the sky. Loving and longing.
Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa desperately miss their sister. They miss the sister who tried to help them escape from their abusive father, the sister who never backed down from their father’s anger, the sister who probably they never really knew. How could she have left them on their own? How could they not protect her?
Jessica mourns the sister she always wanted to emulate, wearing Ana’s clothes and dating her former boyfriend. Iridian regrets that last words she spit at her older sister, ashamed and sorry for the things she doesn’t believe could ever be forgiven even if Ana were still alive. Rosa longs to find the ghost of Ana, to receive and honor her sister’s dying wish for them all.
This is an unexpectedly moving story about processing grief and working through guilt, emotions that trauma can complicate and distort into shame and regret. The Torres sisters are haunted by not just their sister but by all the choices they never made and by the choices taken from them. Ana’s sad and unknowable hurt becomes this ache for each sister that manifests in different ways.
As each sister comes to terms with Ana’s death and with the trauma of her life, they must face their own hurts they’ve hidden away from themselves and each other. It’s only be working together that they will be able to overcome their pain and let Ana go.
Really eerie and mysterious, this book is a great choice for someone who likes a haunting with purpose. Or, for someone who believes that the scariest ghosts are the hurts we let grow in ourselves.
Definitely recommend!