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A review by tinamariethinkstoomuch
The Ballad of Two Sisters by Darci Schummer
4.0
The Ballad of Two Sisters by Darci Schummer is a recent fiction novel released by Unsolicited Press. I happened to see the author looking for reviewers on Twitter, and I eagerly volunteered to read!
And I'm so glad I did!
This book was a great read and I loved how the first chapter opened up the book. A little odd, a little macabre, overall enticing.
The author tells the story of two sisters through multiple points of view. Each chapter was reminiscent of a vignette, capturing a little glimpse from each character to further the story, as though all were lending their voices to this ballad. This (literal) picture of sisterhood. Schummer does a wonderful job of keeping all the voices personalized and unique. They don't all sound the same, or think in a binary way. You're very much in a different head, experiencing each character as the individual they are, which keeps the story from getting mucked up.
I would have loved to explore the sisters even more, but at the same time, I was satisfied with the culmination of their story. I enjoyed the philosophical and existential elements of the characters. It made them very human for me, as though they were people I was getting to know or even becoming friends with. They weren't flat like the page in the least.
The author certainly played with my emotions and as I read, I wondered how she would tie up the story. I'll be honest and say I loved the mortician at the beginning but felt him less necessary by the end. I'd go as far as to say that ending the last chapter with him sort of dulled the finality of the story for me. I would have been happier leaving off where the photograph of the sisters was taken. But that is my only "negative" comment about this entire book, and it's strictly my preference. I see the reasoning in the ending with the Man Who Was No Longer A Mortician.
Throughout this book, there was this struggle with Self and a sense of finding Freedom within all the characters. I genuinely loved seeing those elements appearing differently for each character. And despite want and desire and Self differentiating within each character, it still strung them together and united them. There was this vision of life paths chosen vs given; choices that they seemed almost helpless against: their human nature.
Overall, it's definitely a book I'll recommend and continue to ruminate on.
And I'm so glad I did!
This book was a great read and I loved how the first chapter opened up the book. A little odd, a little macabre, overall enticing.
The author tells the story of two sisters through multiple points of view. Each chapter was reminiscent of a vignette, capturing a little glimpse from each character to further the story, as though all were lending their voices to this ballad. This (literal) picture of sisterhood. Schummer does a wonderful job of keeping all the voices personalized and unique. They don't all sound the same, or think in a binary way. You're very much in a different head, experiencing each character as the individual they are, which keeps the story from getting mucked up.
I would have loved to explore the sisters even more, but at the same time, I was satisfied with the culmination of their story. I enjoyed the philosophical and existential elements of the characters. It made them very human for me, as though they were people I was getting to know or even becoming friends with. They weren't flat like the page in the least.
The author certainly played with my emotions and as I read, I wondered how she would tie up the story. I'll be honest and say I loved the mortician at the beginning but felt him less necessary by the end. I'd go as far as to say that ending the last chapter with him sort of dulled the finality of the story for me. I would have been happier leaving off where the photograph of the sisters was taken. But that is my only "negative" comment about this entire book, and it's strictly my preference. I see the reasoning in the ending with the Man Who Was No Longer A Mortician.
Throughout this book, there was this struggle with Self and a sense of finding Freedom within all the characters. I genuinely loved seeing those elements appearing differently for each character. And despite want and desire and Self differentiating within each character, it still strung them together and united them. There was this vision of life paths chosen vs given; choices that they seemed almost helpless against: their human nature.
Overall, it's definitely a book I'll recommend and continue to ruminate on.