The Other Sister

AudioBook Review Stars: 4 Narration 4 Story 4 I’m not usually one who grabs suspenseful tiles, but how could I resist one that has two sisters, one good, one bad, and neither have descriptions that quite fit? I couldn’t, and then I spent the next several hours unable to walk away, completely tense and feeling on edge as the story is revealed. Geraldine (the bad sister) and Marie (the good one) have been out of touch since the death of their mother and Geraldine’s running away. But now Geraldine is home, and no one can quite trust that she is there for the reasons she claims, or if she is to be trusted. Her father, Martin, rules over the family as he always had: harshly and roughly with not a bit of fear instilled at childhood that still rushes to the surface in the girls now. But years have passed, even as memories haven’t – and Geraldine and Marie are together in a tentative sense of the word, at least until the first fissures in their relationship starts to work its way to the top. As the story unfolds with alternating perspectives from Marie and Geraldine, and bringing history of their lives and relationship to the listener: the descriptives of both girls seem to switch from one moment to th next. Is there really a good or bad – or is either one capable of carrying that add-on to their name at any point in time, circumstances depending? It’s quite a journey through a difficult childhood, some deeply buried secrets, traumas and even the secret that could shatter their entire family – the story is gripping, tense and almost left me needing to curl up under a desk somewhere in all the best ways. Narration is by Angéle Masters, Brittany Wilkerson and Courtney Patterson and while I can’t speak to one specific narrator, the combination of the three brought Grace, Marie and all of the secondary characters to light, allowing for an almost tentative start in their interactions, to fully realize the withholding of secrets, memories and worries as the story develops with present and past –giving an actual sense of the internal tumult within, and a sense of the listeners inability to actually trust in either sister – as nothing is ever quite as it seems. Providing answers to all the questions as it poses new ones, the story is a thrill ride from beginning to end, just don’t listen with the lights out. I received an AudioBook Copy of the title from Hachette Audio for purpose of honest review: I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.