Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Let me start by saying that this is not my usual type of book. I'm not too into thrillers or mysteries, mostly because they tend to freak me out. (That is not to say that I don't like those procedurals on tv, such as CSI, SVU, etc.) Anyway, this book was a book club selection that I went in to half-heartedly.

Sister is the story of two sisters who are extremely close. They are five years apart, but shared a childhood trauma that kept them closer than expected. The two share the minutiae of their lives, including their eating habits, friends, and even things they've purchased recently.

Beatrice (Bee) is the quintessential older sister, always trying to protect her younger, artsy, flighty sister Tess. Tess is in their hometown London, while Bee works in a high-powered, but somewhat safe, corporate job in New York City. Despite their distance, they remain close. So when Tess goes missing, Bee hops a flight to London immediately, surprised that she didn't notice it herself.

That's where the story begins. Bee is determined to find out what happened her sister, going up against the police frequently, who seem to think that Tess is another flighty art student who up and disappeared. Bee continues to contradict their ideas about her beloved sister. Conducting her own investigation, Bee learns things about her sister that contradict what she thought she knew, and begins to question if she really knew her as well as she thought.

This book was awesome. As stated, this isn't my usual read, but it delivered. The book has a huge twist to it near the end that changes how you see everything. (I will not spoil it for you.) I read this book a few months ago for one of my book clubs, and the second club I run was reading it recently as well, so I gave it a second reading. It was even better the second time, since I knew the twist and was able to watch for the hints that had previously gone unnoticed.

If you are remotely interested in mysteries, thrillers, or books that trick you (in a good way), give this one a read.

~Cailey W.