Like a Sister

Janice Daugharty does again what her fans have come to expect in her novels. You can literally smell and touch the trees and bushes and everything else that's growing. And I swear, I could use her directions and find my way over all of South Georgia. Of course, that's not worth a pecan pie, if we didn't get another great story. And it may be subjective on my part, but I usually have to care about the characters to care much for a story. You will come away from this slim novel loving "Sister." (Most of us who grew up in the South have known a "sister"-- sons often are "John Junior" or simply "the boy")Some of the events I figured out but was totally unprepared for the ending. Just a great little read. And I disagree with the readers who thought they were reading worked over Faulkner and/or Welty. Ms. Daughtary to her everlasing credit doesn't write like any other writer I know. Go ahead. Treat yourself to this story.

Magnificently written tale of an extremely dysfunctional parent and the hapless children she takes little responsibility for. Settle into the Georgia heat, smell the red dust roads, experience the caring (though not condoning) townspeople, the neglect, poverty, and Sister's unceasing seeking of respectability. A book of believably sketched characters, well crafted situations, and hope.

I opened Janice Daughtary's "Like A Sister" expecting, ok, a good read. However, the viseral one-two emotional punch of the first chapter--only five pages--made me put the book down and reassess the caliber of the story I was reading here. I think it a great read.Sister's world is ugly. Daughtery uses deadly accurate prose to depict the starkness of Sister's life. Daugharty is also particularly convincing at portraying the confusion and pain of a thirteen-year-old trying to negotiate life with little information and no parental support. But in all the ugliness, there are, for Sister, threads of gold-the physical pleasure of holding her baby sister, Lil; the resigned kindness of the Judge who has the power to take Lil away, and does; the compassion of Willa, her neighbor, who becomes Sister's redeemer. And so Daugharty weaves these threads, makes a net for Sister, and the net is hope. How the heck does Daugharty get THERE? Read "Like A Sister." You'll see.

It seems that everyone in the deep rural South has a female relative known only as "Sister." It is a term of great affection and endearment, but it also connotes familiarity. In Like a Sister, Janice Daugharty has grippingly captured the small town rural life of a 13-year old girl known as Sister. But Sister is not merely a sister, she must also be a surrogate mother to her younger siblings because their mother is too immersed in her own sorry life to care for them. Sister, despite poverty and lack of adult supervision, strives to better herself and to "be good." Sister is endearing and attracts the too-familiar attentions of an opportunistic older man. Her small town world then becomes a minefield with constant dangers to herself, her good-for-nothing mother, her younger twin brothers and baby sister, and eventually even her wonderful neighbor. Ms. Daugharty's characters take shape so clearly that one can easily understand their complexities. Through her strong narrative, you grasp the caring yet smothering sensation of life in a rural South Georgia backwater town. I highly recommend this book, as well as all others by Ms. Daugharty.

Janice Daugharty has hit new heights with LIKE A SISTER. A coming of age tale of triumph over life's most adverse conditions and circumstances, Daugharty's talents with plot, language, and character sparkle in this important new work. A sometimes sad tale of rural community and individual grit and fortitude, these characters and their lives will stay with you for some time-- the true measure of great writing. Oprah, hope you are reading this one!