Publication:
February 5, 2019
Publisher:
Touchstone
Source:
Publisher
Synopsis:
In this spellbinding and suspenseful debut, a
young woman haunted by the past returns home to care for her ailing mother and
begins to dig deeper into her sister’s unsolved murder.
Sixteen years ago, Sylvie’s sister Persephone never came home. Out too late with the boyfriend she was forbidden to see, Persephone was missing for three days before her body was found—and years later, her murder remains unsolved.
In the present day, Sylvie returns home to care for her estranged mother, Annie, as she undergoes treatment for cancer. Prone to unexplained “Dark Days” even before Persephone’s death, Annie’s once-close bond with Sylvie dissolved in the weeks after their loss, making for an uncomfortable reunion all these years later. Worse, Persephone’s former boyfriend, Ben, is now a nurse at the cancer center where Annie is being treated. Sylvie’s always believed Ben was responsible for the murder—but she carries her own guilt about that night, guilt that traps her in the past while the world goes on around her.
As she navigates the complicated relationship with her mother, Sylvie begins to uncover the secrets that fill their house—and what really happened the night Persephone died. As it turns out, the truth really will set you free, once you can bear to look at it.
The Winter Sister is a mesmerizing portrayal of the complex bond between sisters, between mothers and daughters alike, and forces us to ask ourselves—how well do we really know the people we love most?
Sixteen years ago, Sylvie’s sister Persephone never came home. Out too late with the boyfriend she was forbidden to see, Persephone was missing for three days before her body was found—and years later, her murder remains unsolved.
In the present day, Sylvie returns home to care for her estranged mother, Annie, as she undergoes treatment for cancer. Prone to unexplained “Dark Days” even before Persephone’s death, Annie’s once-close bond with Sylvie dissolved in the weeks after their loss, making for an uncomfortable reunion all these years later. Worse, Persephone’s former boyfriend, Ben, is now a nurse at the cancer center where Annie is being treated. Sylvie’s always believed Ben was responsible for the murder—but she carries her own guilt about that night, guilt that traps her in the past while the world goes on around her.
As she navigates the complicated relationship with her mother, Sylvie begins to uncover the secrets that fill their house—and what really happened the night Persephone died. As it turns out, the truth really will set you free, once you can bear to look at it.
The Winter Sister is a mesmerizing portrayal of the complex bond between sisters, between mothers and daughters alike, and forces us to ask ourselves—how well do we really know the people we love most?
******
“We all played our part, Sylvie. We all played our part.”
It seems like everyone is feeling the guilt over Persephone's
death. Each blaming themselves and each other for the role they may have played
in her murder.
Persephone's
mom, Annie turned into an alcoholic that shut herself off from the rest of the
world. She refuses to communicate with anyone, even her own daughter Sylvie. Is
the sudden change in Annie’s health, the
wakeup call she needs in order to repair her fragile family?
Sylvie,
Persephone’s sister, blames herself for what happened to Persephone that night.
And because of that belief, she lives under the weight of that guilt every
single day to the point where she's just coasting through life not really
enjoying it. But then again, she thinks she shouldn't really get the chance to
enjoy her life.
Persephone's
boyfriend Ben's life is on an upswing. He's a nurse now and helps cancer patients.
During the course of the story I began to wonder how much of an interest does
Ben really have in nursing. Is he trying to make amends for past wrongs? Is it
because he feels guilty over what happened to Persephone all those years ago?
Is it because he murdered Persephone and he feels like this is atonement for
him? The author had me questioning almost everyone’s motives.
The Winter Sister surprised me. It's a story that drew me in page by page until
the next thing I knew, I was fully ensconced in it...in the lives of Sylvie,
Annie, Ben, and of course Persephone. I had to know what secrets they were
keeping and what really happened the night that Persephone went missing. The
author, Megan Collins does a great job of weaving these characters stories
together and creating a suspenseful yet emotionally complex story that
tugs at your heartstrings and makes you want to keep reading until you finish
the whole book. And that is exactly what happened to me. I read this book in
one day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing what this author
writes next.
RATING: 4 out of 5.
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