I've read several books by Alice Hoffman, and they all seem to be about pain. Her protagonists (nearly always women, often sisters) suffer from devastating loss and spend the novel trying to find a way to heal from it, to get through it or past it somehow. Some of their suffering is self-inflicted, some dealt out by bad fortune. The main characters come together and break apart over and over, but generally end in reconciliation. Sometimes supernatural forces are involved, sometimes not.
The Story Sisters repeats this pattern. It is also about loss and suffering, but though the novel promises the supernatural, it delivers only mortal suffering. The demons in this story turn out to be all too earthly: drugs, guilt, child abuse, self-destructive urges, despair, fear.
The narrative chronicles the lives of three sisters who enjoy reading and telling stories, but the title is also denotative: Story is their last name. Though I didn't think of it while I was reading the book, afterward, when I was trying to sum up what I thought, I was suddenly reminded of three other story sisters: the Brontes--Anne, Emily and Charlotte--19th century authors whose novels are still being read today.
When I started looking more closely, I saw more parallels: the three women, all with different personalities growing up in a single parent household; the imaginary world (the Brontes called their world Angria, the Story sisters Arnelle); the failed attempts at careers; the number of family deaths to mourn; the use of storytelling to cope with trauma. It made me want to go back and read again about the Bronte sisters to find more connections. I did that, starting with Wikipedia's article about the family: Bronte Family.
That research made me want to read Anne Bronte's work, something I haven't done before. So perhaps I'll add The Tenant of Wildfell Hall to my list!
I chose The Story Sisters because of my experience with the author. I was sure it would be a compelling read, and since I was going to be flying over the holidays, I knew I'd need something to fill up the uncomfortable hours I'd be spending wedged into an airplane seat. It worked quite well--I barely noticed the flight!
I recommend The Story Sisters highly--it's a sad story, but entertaining and rewarding as well. I also recommend learning about the Bronte sisters and reading their work. Both are definitely worth your time.
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