Or Three Novellas Show Special Power of Love and Sisterhood
Sister,
Sister: Three Novellas
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by Donna Hill, Carmen Green and Janice Sims
ISBN: 0312978928
Format: Mass Market Paperback, 310pp
Pub. Date: September 2001
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Reviewed by
Leah Mullen
I can never get upset about my daily subway commute as long as I have something
good to read. Most recently, Sister, Sister: Three Novellas, by Donna Hill,
Carmen Green and Janice Sims, effectively soothed my commuting torment. As the
"A" train snaked its way through the labyrinth of New York City's underground,
Sister, Sister transported me to more interesting locations.
While reading Donna Hill's thought provoking "Thicker Than Water," I found
myself in Washington D.C. where Angela and her sister, Gayla are reunited due to
Gayla's illness. During the story author Hill reveals the fascinating twists and
turns of Angela's mind as she tries to reconcile her complicated feelings toward
her family.
While the setting for "Thicker than Water" was rainy, cold and somber; the story
was absolutely heartwarming. When the estranged sisters decide to confront the
past, they discover the true reason behind their family's dysfunction, and allow
healing to begin.
Carmen Green's "Loving Lola" was my favorite of the three stories. When the
character of Lola was first introduced I didn't like her. She was a jet setter
who accidentally became pregnant, and then asked her always-dependable sister,
Sandra, to raise her newborn son, Brian. Five years later, after Sandra and
Brian have formed a deep and loving bond, Lola shows up announcing that she's
ready to take her son back.
While reading "Loving Lola" I thought, "Well, she has some nerve!" But by the
end of the story I had totally changed my mind, and I loved Lola, too. The story
made me think of the African proverb that says, "It takes a village to raise a
child." It is true that Lola wasn't prepared for the birth of her son, but her
sister was. What was best for the baby was always their first consideration. The
sisters made the decision about Brian's future in the setting of sunny and
historic Martha's Vineyard, where Lola and her future husband owned a home.
Next, I ’went’ to Paris when I read Janice Sims', "Better Left Unsaid." The
story starts at the Hotel Montalembert on a fine April afternoon when a pregnant
supermodel, LuAnne, meets ex football player, Leon, in a broken elevator. A
friendship ensues. Meanwhile LuAnne's equally beautiful older sister, Rhonda, is
in New York pursuing her career as a photographer while mourning the death of
her fianc’, Raj.
Eventually, Leon convinces LuAnne to return home to the states so that she can
be around her family for the birth of her baby. For a while, as I read, I
couldn't figure out what had kept the sisters apart for so long. There were the
issues they faced growing up under the direction of a dictatorial mother who
forced them to perform in countless beauty pageants. And there was also the fact
that LuAnne felt abandoned by Rhonda when the older sister chose to go away to
college instead of New York as the two had planned. But those experiences didn't
seem to be enough to cause such a giant rift between the sisters, especially
when they reunited so naturally during LuAnne's pregnancy. Then in the last
third of the story LuAnne dropped an unexpected bombshell that I was totally
unprepared for. The story had been so sweet and funny up until that point.
Still, in the end I appreciated the important themes of change, growth and
forgiveness. I particularly adored this memorable scene between Leon and LuAnne:
...Leon pulled her into his arms. "You did the right thing, Lulu."
Her mouth open in shock, she just stared at him a moment. "The right thing?
How can you say that? Nothing will ever be the same again."
"Are you the same person you were back then?"
...LuAnne thought for a long while. Leon imagined the machinery turning in her
mind. Then she smiled as the fully realized epiphany presented itself to her.
"I've grown."
"When you weren't even looking," Leon said in that lazy way he had...
The three award-winning writers of Sister, Sister surpass readers'
expectations with their ability to tell an intriguing tale and their insight
into the ways of the human heart. The novellas are chock full of revelations and
beautifully written passages about change, forgiveness, truth and love. Sister,
Sister: Three Novellas is a wonderful celebration of the special bond of
sisterhood.