I think my back has a permanent crick in it. I bathed Doozy yesterday and Wolfie today. Wolfie is an Siberian Husky with a lot of fur. She takes a long time to wash (and I was amazed at how much dirt--technically, sand was in her fur). After this I am taking some Aleeve and resting in bed (hopefully)!
I just finished reading The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon. Amy grew up
in the Tower Motel. It was closed in
1971 after a highway was built that diverted traffic from London, Vermont. One of the attractions was a tower (made of
stone) their grandfather built for their grandmother who came from London,
England. It is now in bad shape and
should be torn down. Jason Hawke grew up
with Amy (had a big crush on her). He is
now married to Margot and they are expecting their first child. Jason is an officer with the London Police
Department. He is going off duty when he hears a call out to the Tower
Motel. When he arrives, he finds a very
bloody and disturbing scene. Amy, her
husband, Mark, and their son, Levi are all dead. The only survivor is their daughter, Lou (who
climbed out onto the roof with her bloody feet). Margot is confined to bed and asks Piper to
investigate what happened to Amy’s family.
The book is told from the
perspective of Rose, Piper, and Jason.
It jumps from 2013 (present day) to 1955, 1961, and 1989 (which makes it
jumbled and confusing). Sylvia and Rose
are sisters (1955 and 1961). Sylvia is
the golden girl. She dreams of being an
actress and she writes odd letters to Alfred Hitchcock (which Rose steals out
of mailbox). She disappears in October the
year of her eighteenth year and is never heard from again. Amy, Margot, and Piper (Margot and Piper are
sisters) find her suitcase buried in the floor of the tower their grandfather
built. They start looking for more
information and find her typewriter.
Inside is another letter to Alfred Hitchcock which mentions a secret 29th
room at the motel. The girls are curious
and start investigating Sylvia and the mysterious room. Where could the 29th room be? Amy is a strange girl. Raised by her grandmother after her mother,
Rose takes off (has issues).
When Rose was little her Oma came
over for a visit from England. Oma would
tell Rose stories about mares. Rose
believes her Oma’s stories about mares.
Humans that can transform into animals.
Rose thinks that Sylvia is a mare and keeps watching her over the
years. She wants to catch Sylvia in the
act of transforming. Is there such a
thing as mares? What happened to Sylvia
Slater? Did Amy kill her family and
herself?
The Night Sister tells the story
about the two investigations and what happened to the family. I found the novel extremely strange (sad, but
true). A paranormal element was added at
the end which actually made the story worse.
I think the novel would have been better off it had just been a
mystery. It is confusing to read as the
book jumps all around. It does come
together in the end, but I did not especially like the ending. I give The Night Sister 2 out of 5
stars. The idea is intriguing, but I
found the execution of the idea lacking.
The writing is just lack luster.
I never got drawn into the story because it was going to different years
and different characters. Unfortunately,
The Night Sister was just not for me.
I received a complimentary copy
of The Night Sister from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
I am currently reading The Lady in Pink by J. A. Kazimer. Thank you for stopping by and reading my latest review. Have a lovely and relaxing Saturday evening. Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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