The Winter Sister
Ratings6
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings6
Average rating3.8
A “haunting debut: suspenseful, atmospheric, and completely riveting” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls) about a young woman who 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 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 is still 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. Adding to the discomfort, Persephone’s former boyfriend is now a nurse at the cancer center where Annie is being treated. Sylvie has 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. The Winter Sister is a “bewitching” (Kirkus Reviews) portrayal of the complex bond between sisters, between mothers and daughters alike, and “will captivate you from suspenseful start to surprising finish” (Kathleen Barber, author of Are You Sleeping).
Reviews with the most likes.
After picking up this book solely on a whim because I fell in love with the cover after I saw it as a possible Book of the Month add on, I am glad to say that I liked it and enjoyed it immensely. Of course, there were things about it that I wasn't particularly thrilled about but in general it was a satisfying reading experience and I will be checking out Megan Collins' other books, even though I've never heard about her work before. It's nice how sometimes you stumble upon authors you would have never come across, totally by accident and maybe partial luck.
First of, The Winter Sister is about a woman named Sylvie, who is drawn back to her hometown because her mother is sick with cancer and she is the only one who can take care of her. This is the same place, where sixteen years ago, her sister Persephone was strangled and the murdered never found. I have read storylines like this one before so it wasn't the most unique in regards to that but I think that the writing and the beautifully complicated relationship that the heroine has with her mother is one of the best I have ever come across in a novel. That's what really bumped the story up to four stars for me and kept me reading and engaged. The pacing it also decent but is somewhat brought down by the rather predictable story.
Secondly, the characterization in this book is probably what I loved the most about it. I loved that all of the characters were flawed and human and it definitely made them very relatable, even in some aspects. And as I have mentioned already, the relationship between Sylvie and her mother was portrayed and brought to life beautifully and it gave me chills because there were so many aspects that I could see in my own relationship with my mother. I have always felt that the relationship between mother and daughter is the most complicated one of all and this book masterfully brings the intricacies of such a fragile thing to life. That's really what made me tear through the book and what I found the most meaningful.
Finally, the writing style was on the higher end for me. It was beautiful and yet it wasn't overdone or made to be longer then necessary. It got the story beautifully across and the meaning behind everything and yet it didn't feel tedious reading it, not even for one second. It felt sophisticated without being too complicated for me to grasp fully the first time I read it. I will definitely be checking out the author's other works exactly for this very reason.
In conclusion, even though I didn't love this book, I definitely enjoyed it. It isn't the most exciting thriller mystery I have ever read but there is a strong mother/daughter relationship in it and I thought it carried the whole book pretty much. I would recommend it to someone looking for a meaningful book with meaningful connections between characters and not necessarily to someone looking for an exciting, “on-the-edge-of-your-seat” type of read.
Quick, easy read. Enjoyable but not thrilling or suspenseful. Main character was tiresome at some points with constant repetition but overall it was an ok story.
