The Half Sister
As seen:
By Catherine Chanter
avg rating
1 review
When she was sixteen, Diana left her unhappy family and set out to make a new life. Twenty-five years later, she has arrived. Recently married to Edmund, she lives with him at his family’s historic country home.
But when Diana hears that her mother has died, she impulsively asks estranged half-sister Valerie and her nine-year-old son to stay. The night of the funeral, fueled by wine and years of resentment, the sisters argue and a terrible accident occurs. The foundations of a well-ordered life start to crack and the lies begin to surface, one dangerous secret after another. And then there’s the boy, watching, waiting.
The Half Sister is a profound and haunting portrayal of those who are imprisoned by their past and by the struggle to find the words which will release them.
TweetReviews
Macclesfield Library Reading Group
The Macclesfield Library Book Group received 10 copies of this book from the Reading Agency in exchange for an honest review, here are our thoughts:
“I felt the author Catherine Chanter wasn’t realistic in her story, it rambled and the characters were not believable. My interest kept waning and the text was too intense not enough paragraphs or dialogue.”
“Found it an interesting story and glad it had the ending it did. Had sympathy with all the characters in the end, which I did not think I would during the story. All were affected by their childhoods to become the adults they became. ‘Think it shows that the beat of a butterfly’s wing can cause an earthquake on the other side of the world.’”
“I found this an enjoyable eerie read. The characters are flawed and it is hard to like them. However as the story progresses they do begin to redeem themselves. A lot happens and it keeps you guessing!”
“Several individuals dealing with historical and present, I found it rambling and clichéd.”
A different order of things, firstly we understand the plot and then the story begins. An interesting story, some unhinged characters and some cruel actions. The book slowed down a little in the 3rd and the ending was a little weak for me. Threads of mental illness, retaliation and abuse. Easy and quick to read.”
“The tension in the narrative was weakened by the rambling monologues of the main characters – needs pruning.”
“A bit rambly in parts, dark intense thriller, had me gripped until the end. Couldn’t predict the ending!”
“The Half Sister is a gripping, thought-provoking novel about a traumatised family. Well worth reading!”
“The Half Sister is a dark and compelling read, the overarching theme of the book is how sibling rivalry and the trauma inflicted at childhood can impact our future selves. I felt that the latter part of the book could have been told much more succinctly.”
