Description
One sister runs away and the other stays behind. But what happens when the dutiful sister has to impersonate the rebel? In her page-turning exploration of familial loyalty, resentment, secrets, and grief, Lilian Nattel explores the meaning and reach of family bonds.
Joan has always done the right thing, both as a palliative care doctor and as a caregiver for her widowed mother, Sheila. Joan’s adventurous sister, Vivien, is a different story. She left home as soon as she was able—running from an insecure childhood troubled by an alcoholic father and a mother who constantly threw away all their possessions in order to buy new ones. Vivien’s rarely been back, working as a nurse in the world’s trouble zones, leaving the heavy burden of family on her sister.
Still, when Vivien learns that their mother is seriously ill, she reaches out to Joan. She's heading for a remote village where Ebola is spreading, and she’s afraid she may die. If she does, she wants Joan to pose as her online so her dying mother won’t have to grieve a daughter. It’s a lie, but it’s the good kind of lie, designed to spare their mother, and so Joan reluctantly agrees, figuring it will never come to that.
But Vivien does die. And even as Joan mourns her sister, she begins to impersonate her online, as promised. It's difficult at first, but to her surprise, posing as Vivien becomes liberating, even addictive. Then she receives a message on her sister's Facebook from a man claiming to be the son Vivien gave up for adoption, and the line between right and wrong, adventure and tragedy, really begins to blur.
About the Author
Lilian Nattel's 5th novel is Only Sisters, the story of a good woman whose life unravels with a single lie: posing as her rebel sister on social media to give her elderly mother peace of mind. Lilian's other novels are: Girl at the Edge of Sky, about a WW2 female fighter pilot; Web of Angels, which deals with D.I.D., The River Midnight, about life in a shtetl with angels in the 19th century; and The Singing Fire, where ghosts and immigrant mothers mingle. Lilian was born in Montreal and decided to be a writer at the age of 10 when she realized that not all writers were dead. Later, she lived in a Toronto garret and temporarily became an accountant to pay for the accommodation. Ever since the publication of The River Midnight, which was published in 8 languages, she's written full time.For more about Lilian,visit her website.
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