An Australian book, written by Jane Alison, The Sisters Antipodes recounts Jane's story of her childhood. When she was young and living in Canberra, her family met another that seemed like its mirror: a father in the Foreign Service, a beautiful mother, and two little girls, the younger two - one of them Jane - sharing a birthday. With so much in common, the two families became almost instantly inseparable. Within months, affairs had ignited between the adults, and before long the pairs had exchanged partners, divorced, remarried, and moved on.
I found many of the themes in the book really resonated with me - the difficulties Jane encountered moving schools multiple times and trying to develop a self (and self esteem) through bad choices in her teenage years. I felt that reading the book made me a bit too introspective and I felt on occasion that I was hosting my own 'pity party'. My growing up was nothing compared to this Jane's, but it brought back many memories that serve no purpose in dwelling on!
I think the story itself is fascinating, especially how all the individuals coped so differently. However, I kept waiting for something to happen. Once the split had occurred, it seemed to dwell on this and the mirrored lives for much of the novel. I realise that is what the book was meant to be about, but I kept expecting more.
Overall I found the book interesting but a bit depressing and non-eventful. Once again I may be tainting the book with my own childhood experiences and views, so would, as always, be interested to hear your views.
Posts
3 comments:
Hi Jane, when I first started reading your review I thought I'd found the first of my summer reads but in finishing the review perhaps not?? Is it tedious to read? Hope you are well, Nicolex
Nicole I did enjoy the book, it was an easy read and well written but once you know the story there wasn't much more to it (for me). If you haven't already read The Help, I strongly suggest you give it a go or A Reliable Wife. I have just finished another book that was excellent and I'll review in a couple of days that might be a good holiday read too.
I heard about this book from a friend and decided that it sounded way too dark and creepy for me, and determined NOT to read it, despite his overwhelming recommendation. Then, he sent it to me and, during a lull between selections, I picked it up and couldn't put it down - it was like watching a train wreck, in slow, excrutiating (sp?) detail. You're right - there is not a lot of action, but I found that the quality of the writing compelled me to read on and on, despite the fact that it was positively horrifying. This is not (obviously!) a feel-good book, but in terms of the prose, it is superior and worth reading just for the beauty of the words, if you can stomach the story. I want to horsewhip those parents, except, possibly, the author's mother.
Post a Comment