Read: January 27, 2012
Summary: Sister is the debut novel for Rosamund Lupton. It tells the story of Bee as she relives and evaluates her relationship with her younger sister, Tess. Bee returns to London after finding out Tess has gone missing. There’s an expectation that Tess will be found and as the search begins the differences between the two sisters become apparent. Bee is the conservative older sibling who feels responsible and protective over her younger sister Tess who is free spirited, risk-taking artist.
Tess is found dead and it appears to be suicide. Bee is sure that Tess was murdered. As sisters’ family and the police accept the reality, Bee pursues a search for a killer. Bee throws herself into her search and also moves into Tess’s apartment and along the way discovers the intricacies of her sister’s life and all its secrets.
Bee, appearing to be a grieving sister in denial and unwilling to accept the facts, uncovers the affair Tess was having with a married man and the pregnancy that resulted, and her difficultly with a stalker who may have crossed the line when Tess refused his advances. The obsession with searching for Tess’ murderer may cost Bee her own life.
My thoughts: I thought this book was a good mystery novel using a very interesting format. Written in the style of a letter, the main character’s recounting of her story and search for her sister’s murder definitely moved the story along quite quickly. The only downside of this book was the ending. The ending was a disappointment where I would have expected it to be better. I remember questioning the ending, thinking “that’s it?” to myself, when I finished the book. An epilogue explaining the aftermath of the story would have helped and provided tidied up the book.
