The Sisters by Janet Kay
The Sisters from Word Castle Publishing is a thoughtful book that explores relationships in the context of spiritual development. The titular sisters are Bella, a free spirit, and the more conservative Veronica. The novel begins with the funeral of Veronica’s husband Jimmy, and we quickly discover the existence of family scandals that have driven an emotional wedge between the two women.
The first part of the book is difficult because it deals with the family rift and the consequences of certain actions. As is frequent in family disagreements, the hardships are brought about not by malice, but by emotion and misunderstanding. However, the scars that are left behind are very real.
There are times in the book where you want to like the characters, but can become frustrated with their behavior. They engage in a lot of self-justification that an outside observer may or may not find convincing. I don’t offer this as a criticism, because these are exactly the types of things common to the behavior of real people.
The Sisters by Janet Kay is interesting because it puts the story of a broken family in the context of a larger perspective. Bella becomes interested in her spiritual journey, and begins to see that the trials and tribulations of her life are part of a larger plan of spiritual growth. There is an afterlife element in this book, which is introduced slowly and increases throughout the novel. As Bella continues on her journey, she finds meaning in her mistakes and moves forward on the path to forgiveness both for herself and also for Veronica.
‘The Sisters’ offers a very mature reflection on the nature of life and a possible meaning for why we all have to endure unfortunate conflicts with the people we most care about. This novel offers an idea for why our lives play out the way they do, and it suggests that even a life filled with pain has an important significance that can provide meaning, closure, and spiritual happiness.
It’s nice to reflect on the ideas that are contained within ‘The Sisters.’ For anyone who is involved in an estranged relationship with a loved one, ‘The Sisters’ can provide the seed of a thought that might lead to finding peace with a painful memory.
The book is written mainly in the first person, although different characters are allowed to step to center stage from time to time. I’m not sure I would have made that narrative choice, but first person always allows a level of intimacy that can otherwise be hard to achieve. Occasionally my writing preferences would have had me delete the occasional word or superfluous paragraph, but overall the writing is highly effective. I took my time reading this book, and began to really enjoy it about a third of the way through. There is an audience for ‘The Sisters’ that would really benefit from the book’s mature way of reflecting on the significance of life and conflict.
