Sister

I'm a big fan of A. Manette Ansay. I started with her books with Oprah and VINEGAR HILL and ordered this and MIDNIGHT CHAMPAGNE to see what else she could do. SISTER is my favorite, hands down.SISTER tells an engrossing tale of Abby, now a woman and soon to be mother, whose brother mysteriously disappeared 10 years ago and has yet to resurface. Looking through memories of the past, and things that happened in her family, she re-examines what may possibly have happened to her brother, while at the same time, looking at the things that happened to her parents and to her as well. There are parts that are unsettling and uncomfortable, the confrontations written as if they had been experienced and you feel almost like an intruder on a deeply personal family scene. The writing is clear and well done, and the book is really an excellent look at family, pain, grief, religion, gender roles, and self exploration. A very good read.

This is the second book I've read by this author. She does not disappoint. Her characters are real and their problems are important and universal. I look forward to her next book.

I am not often compelled to write reviews, however, I would be delighted if one reader peruses my comments, and choses to give read "Sister." What an exquisite novel, written about the eccentricity of family; the power of family, one over the other; the inherent need to connect with family; and the instinctual desire to protect family, whatever the cost. Ms. Ansay's brillant descriptions, flowing dialouge, richly, raw characters, and precise attention to detail, transported me into her book. I was not just a reader; I was a willing partner of Abby's, trudging along on her journey, warily and hungrily, toward resolution.Read this book. You will find yourself in one, or a myriad, of Ansay's characters. Most importantly, you will have discovered, as I, a most tempting author who leaves you to crave more of her exquisite works.

Sister, is the story of Abby Schiller, married, pregnant and still haunted by her abusive childhood and the disappearance of her younger brother over ten years ago. Now, as she's about to become a mother, Abby feels the need to revisit her past and put it to rest before the birth of her baby. And so she begins a journey to try to understand her abusive father, her mother, who always looked the other way and her sensitive, artistic brother who left at seventeen, never to be seen or heard from again. And what a journey it is. Ms Ansay is a wonderful, eloquent writer and the strength of her prose literally pulls you into the story and never lets you go. Her scenes are vivid and riveting. Her characters, beautifully drawn. This is a compelling story of love and loss, betrayal and finally forgiveness, written with honesty and insight. A powerful book in its own quiet way.

Few books have touched me as this one has. Ansay has faithfully reproduced the tensions of my own world and that of so many women who would eagerly hold to religious tradition if only we could find our place within it. Ultimately, however, this is not a story about institutionalized religion. It is about a women's search through the confusion of the present to make sense of the past. Sister is a wonderful story that offers food for the soul.