Began reading: 16.6.2015
Completed reading: 5.7.2015
Overall rating: 3.8 stars
Isabelle Bommarito is part of an ‘insane’ family that has had its ups and downs since their father walked out on them. Her mother, River Bommarito, has summoned Isabelle and her sisters, Cecilia and Janie, home to care for their brother, Henry, and their grandmother, Stella, who thinks she’s Amelia Earhart. While River is recovering from open-heart surgery, the girls are forced to deal with their personal hardships, attacks and dangers, as well as run the family bakery. Things will take a downward spiral when an unexpected visitor from their past turns up at the bakery, and someone is admitted to hospital with fatal outcomes. The three girls must learn to get along and help each other in order to bring the family closer together.
Henry’s Sisters by Cathy Lamb is a contemporary, realistic women’s fiction novel that deals with family, strength and forgiveness. I loved this book! It was just so emotional — I cried so many times! I suggest you have tissues at the ready if you plan to read this novel.
The novel was well-written, as I was able to picture Henry and Grandma running around on the lawn, sunshine filtering through the small and colourful bottles on the kitchen windowsill, and Isabelle riding her motorbike alongside the Columbia River.
I had so many favourite quotes from the novel. Some of them included:
The tears kept coming and I could feel the darkness, darkness so familiar to me, edging its way back in like a liquid nightmare (p. 22).
Trying to pull through the mass of your own emotions is like trying to pull a piece of yarn through a ball that’s all tangled up. It gets stuck, knotted, frayed, and the harder you pull it the harder the knot sticks (p. 216).
Sometimes, I think, we have to praise ourselves for simply functioning. Simply getting up to try out another day (p. 312).
I knew I had to be strong, but inside I felt like I was folding in on myself. I was devastated beyond devastated (p. 404).
There was no romance in the plot AT ALL. I was a bit disappointed. I’m not a massive fan of romance, but a little bit is good. It would have been nice to know what happened to the sisters, in terms of relationships. Although there was no romance, there were other aspects of the plot that kept the story interesting. For example, humour. There was a lot of humour, especially during family dinners, but also from Grandma. Her belief that she was Amelia Earhart and that her prayers to God were doing nothing made me laugh so much. *WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* Here is my favourite one:
‘Dear God, this is Amelia. I told you to heal my co-pilot. What are you, dumb? He’s still sick. What are you, deaf?’ She shouted that last part. ‘Get it right, God. Don’t screw up. What are you, blind? Amen’ (pp. 457-458).
There were some aspects of the plot that were relatable. These included Isabelle’s and River’s depression, Janie’s introversion and OCD tendencies, and Cecilia’s difficulties with her weight and anger. However, many of the hardships that occurred in the novel just seemed too unrealistic. This made it difficult for me to stay interested.
Isabelle Bommarito was the character that I related to most, as she came across as cold, cruel and irresponsible, but she was protective and caring. Henry was my second favourite because he was so innocent and brave:
He was completely unprepared for the shittiness of our childhood, for what had happened specifically to him, but unlike his sisters, he had learned to trust again. To hope. To reach out to others with innocence (p. 60).
Cecilia, on the other hand, was my least favourite character. She was just too aggressive, controlling and rude, as well as a hypocrite. I just didn’t like her at all.
I loved reading about Henry and Grandma together; it was heart-warming. Towards the ending, this relationship becomes so emotional. I loved how Cathy Lamb created this relationship. It was just so beautiful!
Happy reading!
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